HYDERABAD: IT & Industries and Commerce Minister, D Sridhar Babu has directed the officials concerned to negotiate with the beneficiaries regarding the payment of gratuity under the R&R package to 280 people who built houses on the land acquired by Singareni for the Lagnapur Open Cast Mine.
In 2012, the Singareni collieries acquired 103 acres of land for an open-cast mine in Ramagiri mandal under the Manthani Assembly constituency.
A total of 466 houses were built and 721 people under R&R were paid at the rate of Rs 7.5 lakh per person.
Singareni has released a total of Rs 145 crore for the resettlement of people who have lost their homes. After the land was sold, some people built 1,400 houses on the same land and demanded compensation.
After Babu’s efforts, who was the local MLA at that time, the coal company gave them Rs 30 crore in compensation. In the meantime, the officials brought to the attention of the minister that there are legal obstacles to the R&R payment to 280 people who claim to be displaced persons. He ordered the officials to solve the issue by paying compensation on a humanitarian basis.