SIDDIPET : A tense atmosphere prevailed in Bailampur village for about four hours on Friday when furious villagers prevented officials from carrying out the work on construction of Konda Pochamma reservoir. The villagers were protesting against the denial of a rehabilitation and compensation package to them.Around 10 am, the contractor arrived with heavy machinery and earthmovers and, soon, the villagers gathered and obstructed the work.
They asked the contractor how they could start the work without paying compensation. Some people, who had already registered their lands with the government, also joined the protest and forced the contractor to go back. They said the government had promised them alternative housing and without providing any rehabilitation and compensation to them, it was not just for the officials to ask them to vacate the village.
Coming to know of the incident, Gajwel RDO Vijayender Reddy and other officials and police reached the village. The situation returned to normal after the contractor left the village.
With the contractor leaving the village, the villagers returned home but warned that they would obstruct the work until the government paid them the compensation.According to them, collector P Venkatram Reddy called them to the Gajwel RDO's office for talks and behaved arrogantly instead of giving them a sympathetic hearing. They said that the ongoing work was spewing out so much dust and it could cause health hazards.
They appealed to the collector to arrange alternative residence for them but their plea fell on deaf ears. "If authorities are not bothered about our welfare, why should we cooperate with them?" the villagers and MPP M Venkatram Reddy asked.Venkatram Reddy said the collector asked villagers to cooperate with officials in household survey by numbering the houses from Friday. And when they sought rehabilitation and compensation, the collector spoke arrogantly and asked them to leave the village.