Kaleshwaram project oustees hold ‘Kurchi Pe Charcha’ protest against KCR

HYDERABAD: Perhaps inspired by Narendra Modi's 'Chai Pe Charcha' initiative ahead of the 2014 polls, oustees of the Charlagudem, Kistampally and Shivannaguda reservoirs in the Munugode constituency launched a unique protest, 'Kurchi Pe Charcha.' The protest is meant to mock at Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao for not fulfilling the promises made to the Kaleshwaram project oustees.

The protesters set up a chair with the CM's photo and held placards that read, "We kept the chair ready. Come, sit and resolve (our problems).” The protest was in response to the CM's promise to resolve all issues while sitting in a chair in the village, to compensate the oustees and build houses for the submerged, when he laid the foundation for the reservoirs.

The protest was evolving into a mass movement, with the chair serving as a symbol of the movement, ahead of the byelection. Munugode is one of the state's most backward constituencies, where the government has ignored village demands for better roads, double-bedroom houses, better infrastructure, and the completion of pending projects.

The oustees had yet to receive the promised appropriate compensation and R&R packages, and they were suffering as a result of the delay. The protest had been going on for 45 days, and the symbolic chair was added on October 15 to make the demands more audible.

The CM promised to resolve their problems within a year and a half, but nothing has happened. The protestors also questioned the state government's double standards, pointing out that the Mallannasagar oustees were given Rs 12 lakh as compensation while they had received only Rs 5.05 lakh. They also demanded that the Chandrashekar Rao government provide jobs to the villagers whose homes were submerged.