Forest land identified for oustees

​Srikakulam: Works related to nuclear power plant (NPP) at Kovvada are being accelerated as officials concerned have identified 213 acre forest land for building a colony for the displaced people under Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R) package.

Revenue and the project land acquisition officials identified the land at Dharmavaram village in Etcherla mandal, which is about seven kilometre away from Srikakulam city.

While the land identification process was going on at Dharmavaram, forest department officials raised objections to it since it was the land allotted by the then undivided AP state government as part of compensatory land allotment process.

Earlier, the state government acquired 213 acres forest land at Ramagundam in Karimnagar district for coal mining purpose at that time and in lieu of it, the government allotted 213 acres land at Dharmavaram in Srikakulam to satisfy the provisions of Forest Act and to protect forest lands.

Now, after verifying all records, revenue official proposed to allot 213 acres to forest department at Thamada village in Laveru mandal in Srikakulam district, in lieu of Dharmavaram land, as part of compensatory land allotment.

Total displaced families under the NPP are 2,100 and each family would get five cents (one cent-48 yards) of land for construction of house and Rs 6 lakh to build a house. In addition, each family would be paid another Rs 50,000 to meet transport charges to shift their families and goods.

“Site for R&R colony at Dharmavaram has been finalised and after its takeover, we will initiate steps for construction of houses,” joint collector, KVN Chakradhara Babu told The Hans India.