SRIKAKULAM: The Revenue department is all set to complete the survey of Vamsadhara project-displaced families (PDFs) to disburse additional compensation. The YS Jagan Mohan Reddy government has sanctioned Rs 226.76 crore for the Vamsadhara PDFs as assured by him during his Praja Sankalpa Padayatra. The revenue officials are preparing ground to disburse the compensation before the Chief Minister’s visit to the district on June 27. At least 17 revenue teams have been working to disburse the additional compensation.
Vamsadhara is one of the major irrigation projects in Srikakulam district, which can irrigate at least four lakh acres of land in both rabi and kharif seasons. The YS Rajasekhar Reddy government started the Vamsadhara phase-2 works with an estimated cost of Rs 933.90 crore in 2005. The revenue officials have acquired 9,579 (8,775 private land and 804 D-form patta land) acres of private land from 7,103 PDFs in 34 villages.
The government has paid Rs 1, 30, 000 per acre of land in 2006. However, the government has failed to complete the project in the stipulated time. Meanwhile, the displaced-families have launched an agitation demanding compensation as per the 2013 Land Acquisition Act. The previous government led by N Chandra Babu Naidu has announced a youth package (Rs 5 lakh) to the displaced families, who had children attain 18 years old, after their agitation turned violent in 2017. As many as 4,998 PDFs have received the youth package. However, another over 1800 displaced families became ineligible for the youth package, as they did not have children. The project was completed and launched in 2018.
After displaced families announced to launch the second phase of agitation, the Chief Minister gave a nod for the additional compensation. The government has sanctioned Rs 226.76 crore. The government has sanctioned Rs 1 lakh additional compensation for each acre of land, Rs 1 lakh for each PDF family and youth as additional compensation as per GO Rt No 1632. The government has also sanctioned Rs 10 crore for other expenditure. The CM lso directed the district officials to disburse the compensation before his district visit.