Polavaram: Rehabilitated people face hardships due to lack of basic facilities

KAKINADA: The Polavaram Displaced Families (PDF) who have moved to rehabilitation colonies are facing difficulties. The colonies have not been completed yet and there are no basic amenities like power, water, proper toilets and drainage.

Homes have been constructed for nearly 1,064 families of non-tribals at Krishnunipalem village in Gokavaram mandal and more than 2,000 houses at Indukuripeta for tribals. Some of the families have shifted to the colonies by leaving their villages in Devipatnam mandal.

Some of the people from these villages are coming to the colonies to reside there as their villages are getting flooded due to the surge from backwaters caused by the cofferdam.

“Water is not available sufficiently even for washing their utensils and also drinking. There is no power and some houses don’t have toilets,’’ said a woman.

A resident and activist representing the oustees’ cause vis-a-vis Polavaram Project, T. Gangadhar, said he recently occupied his house and the people in the area are facing hardships to live there due to lack of basic amenities.

Mosquito menace is giving more trouble and poisonous insects and snakes entered the colonies and the people are in the grip of fear. The government should have completed the R&R packages and Rehabilitation Colonies before the construction of cofferdam and other construction works for the Polavaram Project, he said.

Gangadhar said many inhabitants of Devipatnam mandal are leaving their villages due to the flooding from the backwaters and shifting base to the unfinished colonies.

Sub-collector Katta Simhachalam urged the people to submit their grievances and that these would be addressed facilities provided through the contractor.

Meanwhile, the people of some villages from the Kunavaram merged mandal are leaving their homes because of the flooding of their villages. They are shifting with their belongings and reaching the safest places nearby by walk or by cycles due to lack of transportation facility.

They said their villages have been included in 51 contour instead of 41 contour and the finalization of the R&R packages and land acquisition process have not been completed. Hence, they are facing problems and struggling for their existence and livelihood.