VIJAYAWADA: Even as allegations of irregularities in the Polavaram Project’s land acquisition, rehabilitation and resettlement (LARR) activities haunt the State government, a report prepared by the National Commission of Scheduled Tribes (NCST) made critical observations on the issues faced by persons belonging to scheduled tribe communities due to improper rehabilitation and resettlement. The report states that the alternative land given to project affected people (PAP) dependent on agriculture is not cultivable in many cases and that many landless people have been deprived of their livelihood after rehabilitation.
In the report submitted to President Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday, NCST chairperson Dr Nand Kumar Sai states, “It was informed that in many cases the alternative land given to them (PAP) in lieu of the acquired land is not cultivable. Either it is rocky terrain or there is no water.’’ The Commission recommended that the State government provide land fit for agriculture to project displaced families (PDFs) and PAP with proper irrigation facilities.
The Commission also noted that many tribals without land holdings, who were dependent on forests for their daily bread, were deprived of their livelihood. “The State government needs to take care of them by providing alternative means of livelihood,” the report noted.
The recommendations were made after NCST members made field visits to the project site in the last week of March and interacted with Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu as well as other state officials.
The Commission also recommended that compensation packages be revised on a suo-moto basis by the government keeping in view the observations and modalities suggested by the Supreme Court in the Special Leave Petition in the case of Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd vs. Mathias Oram and others.
Other recommendations
Focus on creation of colleges, university, stadiums etc in resettlement colonies
Houses destroyed in floods should be re-built immediately
R&R works must be discharged by single point of authority
State should consider developing industrial estate/hub adjoining resettlement area to provide employment opportunities for the affected
“The Commission feels that a similar scheme will help the ST people affected by Polavaram Irrigation Project,” it said.
While awarding compensation to tribals, “land for land” policy should be followed as much as possible, the Commission said. “In this regard, the ceiling of 2.5. acres of land should be waived in case of ST people, and they should be provided equal or at least 2.5 acres of land within the Command Area of the Polavaram Irrigation Project,” the letter read.
The Commission also recommended that the State government ensure that R&R works are completed and compensation paid at least four months prior to submergence or commissioning of the project or displacement, whichever is earlier.
“We apprehend that once the project is physically completed and affected people are shifted to new places, the rehabilitation and resettlement officials concerned will be transferred to new responsibilities and it is likely that the people rehabilitated (R and R) will be left to fend to themselves without any supporting institutional mechanism.
Therefore, we strongly recommend that there should be a dedicated team of R and R officials to be stationed in rehabilitation area to oversee the welfare measures for a period of at least five years from completion of the project.” Dr Nand Kumar Sai, chairperson of NCST, said.