VIJAYAWADA: The Left parties organised a meeting in the city on Tuesday demanding effective implementation of Relief and Rehabilitation package for Polavaram project oustees.
The meeting was attended by CPM State secretary P Madhu, MLA Sunnam Rajaiah, former MP M Babu Rao, former MLC Jelli Wilson and other Left party leaders. Speaking at the meeting, the Left party leaders alleged that the Telugu Desam government which laid emphasis on speedy completion of Polavaram project, was neglecting the rehabilitation of the displaced.
They demanded setting up of a special agency on the lines of Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) to oversee the effective implementation of Relief and Rehabilitation package for the displaced people of Polavaram. The Left parties extended their total support to the displaced people in their struggle demanding adequate relief and proper rehabilitation. As many as 480 villages in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh will be submerged rendering 83,000 families displaced if the multipurpose Polavaram project is completed. Hence, the State government should give priority to implementation of the Relief and Rehabilitation package rather than the execution of Polavaram project.
The social impact assessment survey should be conducted once again in the submerged areas to ensure justice to all the displaced people, the Left party leaders said.CPM State secretary Madhu said the allocation of `30,000 crore for land acquisition and implementation of Relief and Rehabilitation package for the Polavaram project oustees was highly inadequate. A total sum of `1 lakh crore was needed to rehabilitate all the displaced people of Polavaram project adequately, he said.