People's Democracy

ANDHRA PRADESH

CPI(M) Fights For Rehabilitation Of Project-Displaced People

                                                              M Venugopala Rao

Andhra police resorting to firing and lathicharge on peaceful protestors

THE CPI(M)-led agitation of the people displaced by the proposed Thotapalli irrigation project in Vijayanagaram district, demanding payment of adequate compensation and rehabilitation, has brought to the fore the need for payment of adequate compensation, rehabilitation and resettlement of the people affected and displaced under various irrigation projects in the state.  On April 16, the police resorted to firing and brutal lathicharge on the leaders of the CPI(M) and  the displaced people agitating at Mettupaka junction for payment of adequate compensation for the lands and houses the latter had lost under the proposed Thotapalli project. Ten people, including the state committee member of the CPI(M) and honorary president of the state unit of AIDWA, S Punyavathy,  and Vijayanagaram district committee secretary of the Party, M Krishna Murthy, were injured.  The police registered cases against 12 people, including the leaders of the CPI(M), under various sections with cooked up charges, including attempt to murder, and sent them to 15-day remand in the central jail in Visakhapatnam. The  police brutality and foisting of  false cases against the leaders of the CPI(M) and other agitators evoked all-round condemnation and wide-spread protests.  Punyavathy, Krishna Murthy, Kolaka Krishna Murthy, CPI(M) MLA from Nagur constituency and Reddy Sriramamurthy, secretary of Parvathipuram division committee of the Party, are among those sent to 15-day custody. The police also arrested Chaudary Tejeswara Rao, Srikakulam district secretary of the CPI(M), B Tulasidas, president of the A P Rythu Sangham and  V Indira, Vijayanagaram district secretary of AIDWA  at the house of Sriramamurthy and released them later.

Strongly condemning the police brutality and foisting of false cases, B V Raghavulu, member of the Polit Bureau and secretary of the state committee of the CPI(M), demanded the government to withdraw the false cases immediately and release all the people who were arrested. He demanded the government to appoint a committee with experts and representatives of political parties to formulate a policy of rehabilitation of the people displaced under various projects in the state. Raghavulu warned that a statewide agitation would be taken up, if the government does not solve the problems of the people displaced under the Thotapalli barrage through negotiations. The government has to acquire about three lakh acres of land for construction of projects in the state.  Though it has acquired about 56,000 acres of land till the end of December last, compensation has not been paid to some of the displaced people, Raghavulu said.  Besides, the problem of displaced people is also arising in connection with land acquisition for international airport at Shamshabad, Krishnapatnam port, special economic zone, etc.  As such, the issue has wider impact.

It is estimated that under the Thotapalli project, about 10,700 acres of private land in 24 villages would be submerged, displacing about 4000 families.  The affected people are demanding payment of same price to their lands, irrespective of their nature, as per the judgement given by the Supreme Court in the past. Among the affected people are several hundreds of tribals. As per the judgement of the Supreme Court, they should be given alternate lands. As the displaced people expressed apprehension that the extent of lands that would be submerged under the project was under-estimated, the minister for forests, S Vijayarama Raju, promised that the government would pay compensation which would be 100 per cent more than the price fixed by the government. And that works of the project would be started only after payment of compensation  and rehabilitation of the affected people. Contrary to the promise of the minister, the district collector announced later that the compensation would be more by 50 per cent only.

While a meeting on the issue of the displaced people was to take place on April 19 in Hyderabad with the officers concerned, thousands of displaced people took out a rally at Mettupaka junction on April 16, demanding stoppage of works of the project till compensation is paid to them. With the joint collector expressing his inability to stop the works and making provocative comments, the agitators expressed their resolve to stop the works and sought the permission of the police to take out a procession.  After arguments, the police resorted to lathicharge and firing on the agitators, who in turn, pelted stones on the police. One DSP and three constables also sustained injuries.  Protesting against the police firing and lathicharge, the CPI(M) conducted rasta roko at several places in Vijayanagaram district and a bandh was observed in Parvathipuram on the call given by the committee of the displaced people and the Left parties. Central committee member of the CPI(M) and MP, P Madhu and other leaders of the Party visited areas of the displaced people and demanded the government to give alternate lands and compensation to the displaced people and exgratia of Rs 2 lakh to K Venkataramana who sustained bullet injury. Madhu also represented the matter to the district collector.

In a letter addressed to the chief minister, Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, Raghavulu refuted his reported allegation that the CPI(M) had provoked the displaced people and expressed surprise that the CM was echoing the words uttered by the former chief minister, N Chandrababu Naidu, that the opposition parties were provoking the then agitation against power tariff hike. He also explained that the displaced persons were seriously agitated and dissatisfied over the issue and that was the reason why they were participating in the agitation in thousands. Tracing the background of the agitation to the year 2003, Raghavulu pointed out that they had resorted to agitation after all their representations to and pleadings with the ministers and officers failed to elicit positive action to solve their problems.  People displaced under several projects have been suffering unbearable difficulties over the years, unable to get compensation.  The government should not forget that the people displaced under other projects would resort to agitation, Raghavulu asserted. In the policies of the central and state governments on rehabilitation of the displaced people, it is proposed to formulate a plan of rehabilitation  and propose it for public discussion before the works of the projects concerned are taken up.  It is strange that the government itself is violating this position and at the same time putting the leaders of the displaced persons agitating for implementation of the law behind the bars, Raghavulu commented.  While the government officers and the police provoked the displaced people, who were agitating peacefully, the leaders tried to pacify the people and control the situation.  Pointing out that the CM might be aware of what kind of leaders Punyavathy and MLA Lakshmana Murthy were, Raghavulu asked whether they were appearing to his government as hardcore criminals who commit crimes like attempt to murder and insult the women. As a result of such approach the credibility of the government would degenerate, he said.  Raghavulu demanded the CM to take initiative to discuss with the representatives of the displaced people, solve their problem and withdraw all the false cases foisted on their leaders.

A meeting of different political parties, organised by the A P Rythu Sangham at Sundarayya Vignana Kendram,  unanimously passed a resolution, requesting the government to work out  a rehabilitation and resettlement package for the people displaced under the Thotapalli project, discuss the same with political parties, the displaced persons and voluntary organisations and publish a gazette notification.  The meeting demanded the government to withdraw the cases foisted against the leaders of the displaced places. It also demanded the government to formulate and implement a policy of paying compensation to the displaced people before starting works of any proposed project. Leaders of different political parties B V Raghavulu, Koratala Satyanarayana (CPI-M),  Kadiyam Srihari (TDP), Kanumuri Bapiraju (Congress), Sateesh (TRS), Chandrasekhar (CPI), Kotayya (Rythu Coolie Sangham) and Govardhan (CPI-ML New Democracy) supported the demands of the displaced persons and announced  support to their agitation. President of the Rytu Sangham, Tulasidas presided over this meeting.