CPM general secretary Baby visits Polavaram submerged villages
- Disapproves of the govt approach of rehabilitating displaced families
- The displaced rue lack of basic amenities
Rampachodavaram (Asr District): CPM general secretary M A Baby expressed strong disapproval of the government’s approach to rehabilitating displaced families from the Polavaram project, stating that it lacked “basic humanity.”
He made these remarks during a visit to the rehabilitation colonies in Talluru and Nagulapalli villages on Saturday.
Baby, accompanied by Central Committee member K Lokanadham, State Committee member Killo Surendra, East Godavari district secretary T Arun, Rampachodavaram district secretary Boppena Kiran, and other party leaders, toured the colonies and spoke directly with the residents. The government has provided rehabilitation for 240 families in the Talluru Colony and 73 in the Nagulapalli Colony.
During the visit, locals shared their hardships with the CPM team. Residents of the Talluru Colony in Devipatnam mandal complained about the lack of basic amenities and poor construction quality.
Women lamented that the toilets were built too low, causing water-logging during even light rains.
They also alleged that the houses were shoddily constructed, with leaking roofs, making them unsafe to live in. A displaced elderly woman, Tokala Somalamma, told the leaders she was forcibly relocated from the Kondamodalu panchayat despite not having received the promised rehabilitation.
Meanwhile, residents of the Nagulapalli Colony claimed that none of them had received the full R&R (Rehabilitation and Resettlement) package they were entitled to. Baby criticised the government for constructing colonies that were not fit to be called homes due to a severe lack of facilities. He demanded a more humane and effective approach to the rehabilitation process for all project-affected families.
