Displaced villagers in guntur cry for rehabilitation

Pulichintala evacuees awaiting justice since 2004

Guntur: Residents of this district are unhappy with the Government which promised to set up rehabilitation centres to accommodate the Pulichintala Project displaced persons and pay them compensation within nine months after its foundation was laid in 2004.

They allege a day before Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy is to launch the project that that till date the total compensation has not been paid to them. Fifteen villages to be submerged by the project in the district are located in Machavaram, Bellamkonda and Dachepalli mandals. The villages are Pulichintala, Gollapeta, Kolluru, Chityala, Chityala Thanda, Kethavaram, Kethavaram Thanda, Kamepalli, Bhodanam, Regulagadda, Yemmajigudam, Gobindapuram, Vemavaram and Yellapalli. About 12,602 acres in these villages are to be submerged. Of the compensation of Rs.168 crore, Rs.145 crore for 11,588 acres has been paid so far. The amount for 1,013 acres, including 500 acres in Kethavaram is yet to be remitted. Villagers are cultivating 500 acres of Lakshminarasimha Swamy Temple. A dispute has arisen between the villagers and priests over the payment of compensation.

As they have approached the court, compensation is pending. Of the 6,446 families affected by project, 4,661 have been given house-sites elsewhere.