The Hindu | Staff Reporter | Sep 28, 2005
- Concern over the fate of tribals once they are shifted to non-tribal areas
- Submergence of over 260 villages feared in East and West Godavari and Khammam districts by Polavaram project
- Officials accused of behaving rudely with affected people and not giving them proper information
A WORRIED LOT: Saraswati Rao, an activist of the Movement Against Uranium Project in Nalgonda, speaking at a workshop in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday.
VISAKHAPATNAM: P. Jogamma, hailing from Maduvalasa village of Pachipenta mandal in Vizianagaram district, does not know how to narrate injustice done to her and others due to the Peddagedda reservoir project by which they have been displaced.
Waving copies of pattas issued to them, she points out as to how they have been denied possession of land for which they were given the pattas long ago.
Makireddi Ramana is another victim from the Tandava reservoir project built in 1974. Still he runs from pillar to post for compensation along with others from Golugonda and Nathavaram mandals in Visakhapatnam district.
Polavaram project
P. Bullamma has yet another tale to tell on the proposed Polavaram project. She says that they are threatened due to the project that will submerge over 260 villages in East and West Godavari and Khammam districts. “What will happen to tribal communities once they are shifted to non-tribal areas?”
M. Venkatalakshmi narrates how she has lost her two acres in Korturu village on the banks of the Godavari due to a tourism project and has not been compensated till now though she was promised of the same three years ago.
These project oustees were among the 40 delegates from various NGOs and groups who shared their experiences on struggles being spearheaded by them at a two-day workshop on `Women and displacement’, which began on Tuesday. It is being organised jointly by Samata and Bhubaneswar-based Institute for Socio-Economic Development (ISED).
Problems of fishermen
T. Jyoti, a fisherwoman from Dibbapalem on the outskirts of the city, outlined the woes of fisherfolk due to a private port at Gangavaram, a special economic zone and an atomic research centre coming up near Atchutapuram.
She complained that the authorities were behaving rudely without giving proper information to the affected people.
Saraswati Rao of the Movement Against Uranium Project in Nalgonda spoke on the invincible danger due to the radiation from the uranium project.
Some of the organisations which attended the workshop included Polavaram Project Andolana Samithi, Adivasi Mitra, Shaheen, Sujana, Mitra Welfare Association, Pragati, Fisherfolk Youth Welfare Association, Sanjeevini and Human Rights Forum.
Earlier, Ravi Rebbaparagada of Samata and Balaji Pandey of ISED explained the objectives of the workshop.
Call for unity
Samata director K. Bhanumathi spoke in detail the status of the displaced persons, especially women and children.
She pointed out the need for women from isolated struggles to come together and share their experiences so as to understand the various aspects of displacement and the policy and law regarding rehabilitation and resettlement by the State and the Union Governments.