SIDDIPET: Abiding by the High Court order, Siddipet Collector P Venkataram Reddy met single men and women who are oustees of the Mallannasagar project, living in Etigadda Kishtapur and Vemulghat villages, and heard individual petitions for R&R, on Monday. As many as 79 single men and women attended the meeting.
The HC had, during the last week of June, directed the Collector to meet the oustees, after as many as 27 single women and 52 single men belonging to the two submerging villages filed a plea in the Court, stating that they haven’t received proper R&R package. The Court had also asked the Collector to submit a report, after recording the arguments of the oustees, by July 9.
Scores of farmers, including those who didn’t move the HC, reached the Collectorate by around 11.30am. Though the police initially allowed entry to only those who moved the Court, they later lifted the restrictions.
However, the Collector held talks with only these 79 persons. Meanwhile, the oustees were baffled to find that, after the meeting, the Collector sanctioned cheques worth Rs 7.5 lakh each to only three persons.
The Collector directly handed over the cheques to T Enkavva, B Lakshmi and Chinta Kamalamma. The remaining 76 persons were given options forums, to formally declare the R&R package they want — the one as per Land Acquisition Act of 2013, or as per the 2017 State government order. These persons were requested to approach the Siddipet RDO office on July 7.