SIDDIPET: Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Wednesday directed Finance Minister T Harish Rao and District Collector M Hanumanth Rao to personally look into the Mallannasagar oustees’ compensation issue and other problems related to the villages affected by the project.
Speaking to people’s representatives, after inaugurating the Sri Komaravelli Mallannasagar project in Thogita mandal of Siddipet district, he said: “Oustees of these submerging villages were given good compensation as per GO 123. But some went to court after being influenced by people with vested interests, and suffered losses.”
Stating that the government has constructed colonies for the benefit of oustees, he directed Minister Harish Rao and the Collectors present on the occasion to look into all the issues and to ensure that the remaining affected people were provided compensation.
“I had instructed the engineers not to hesitate to spend Rs 100 crore to fully compensate the oustees while constructing the Kaleshwaram Project at a cost of Rs 1 lakh crore. No corruption was involved in the implementation of the project. I assured that full justice would be done to the oustees,” he said.
“In addition to providing compensation, proposals should be sent so that diary and other self-employment units can be sanctioned in order to provide employment to displaced families,” he said and added that it was the government’s responsibility to provide employment to the youth of affected villages.
Projects only for tourism, says Ponnala
Hyderabad: Alleging that the Mallannasagar project had only benefited the Kalvakuntla family, former PCC chief Ponnala Lakshmaiah dared CM K Chandrasekhar Rao to an open debate.
He felt that the projects were not serving their real purpose. “Not a single drop will come from Kaleshwaram to Mallannasagar during the rainy season, Are you constructing projects which will only serve the purpose of tourism,” Lakshmaiah asked.