KAKINADA: All India Forward Bloc (AIFB) has charged that lives of nearly 60,000 schedule caste (SC) people have been ruined due to Polavaram Project, as the state government has not provided them any alternative livelihood or lands.
AIFB state secretary I. Suryanarayana said when Polavaram Project Authority conducted meetings at Vijayawada in July 2019, Relief and Rehabilitation commissioner had submitted a report that 58,858 SC families in East and West Godavari districts have been displaced due to Polavaram Project.
Suryanarayana said as per Rule 24 of New Land Amendment Act, one acre land should be given to each landless SC person. But the state government has not yet provided the land so far.
He pointed out that 38,957 SCs of 234 residential areas in East Godavari district and 19,911 SCs of 137 residential colonies in West Godavari district have become homeless. Officials are shifting them to three rehabilitation colonies near Gokavaram in East Godavari and Taduvai village near Jangareddygudem in West Godavari. But these people have not been given any employment.
Suryanarayana said even to construct R&R colonies, the government had taken D-Farm lands from SCs at Krishnunipalem village in Gokavaram. But those SCs have also not been given any compensation so far. He demanded that officials be booked under SC, ST Atrocities Prevention Act for doing injustice to SCs.
