HNSS oustees seek more compensation

Puttaparthi (Anantapur): Handri Neeva Sujala Sravanthi (HNSS) originally conceived by Sir Arthur Cotton, the architect of Krishna and Godavari barrages, which is aimed to irrigate 6.025 lakh acres in Rayalaseema and 3.45 lakh acres alone in Anantapur district, is facing legal hurdles in Puttaparthi constituency.

Highlights:

• Farmers approached HC pleading for Rs 1.5 crore compensation per acre on par with farmers, who gave lands for PUDA
• State government offered Rs 23 lakh per acre
• District Collector asks officials to negotiate with the farmers for an amicable settlement

The farmers in the area demanding the government to raise quantum of compensation for their lands, had gone to High Court of Hyderabad pleading for compensation on par with farmers who received Rs 1.5 crore per acre in the Puttaparthi Urban Development Authority (PUDA) approved layout.

Venkataramudu, a farmer, who approached the High Court demanding that he be paid a compensation of Rs 1.5 crore per acre on par with farmers whose lands were adjacent to his lands, said 13 other farmers also were offered Rs 23 lakh per acre but the farmers declined to accept it calling it as meagre amount.

Only on technical grounds higher compensation was denied to us, he added. The 14 farmers who had gone to court also got a favorable verdict but the government is yet to honour it, says Venkataramudu. District Collector Veera Pandian asked the officials concerned to negotiate with the farmers and arrive at an amicable settlement.

Special Deputy Collector (Land acquisition) Ram Mohan told The Hans India that in the phase-1, as many as 6 packages and under phase-2, 7 packages of works are at various stages of progressing. Puttaparthi comes under phase-1 and 31-36 package.

In Penukonda region under Gollapalle reservoir purview about 80 farmers enjoying assigned lands in an extent of 10,000 acres were not paid compensation. Special Deputy Tahsildar Inthiaz told The Hans India that the government has decided to pay compensation to assigned land farmers on par with patta lands farmers.

The assigned land farmers will soon be paid their due compensation, he assured. Right now their payments were being arranged. The total amount of compensation paid to farmers in two phases is Rs 371.64 crore. The total extent of land for which compensation is yet to be paid is 510 acres in the district.

In the phase-1 for the HNSS project, 6,473 acres of land were acquired and under phase-2, 16,523 acres were acquired. Still 251.93 acres under first phase and 287.72 acres under second phase were pending acquisition.

Poised for completion by September 2017, the Chandrababu Naidu government is determined to complete the two phases of works to release water to 500 odd tanks in Rayalaseema and also for the next crop season beginning September. The revised project cost is Rs 11,658.357 crore. Already Rs 4,800 crore has been spent and another Rs 2,500 crore is being spent to complete the project by July-August.

Besides irrigating 6 lakh acres in the region, it is designed to supply drinking water to about 33 lakh people en route 565 km long canal system. The HNSS canal running a length of 565 km involves lifting of water in 9 stages in phase 1 main canal and 4 stages in phase 2 with a lift height of 368.83 meters, excavation of 5 tunnels and building of 8 reservoirs en route.

The reservoirs include Krishnagiri and Pathikonda in Kurnool district and Jeedipalle reservoir in Anantapur with a total storage capacity of 2.973 tmcft of water. In the second phase, Gollapalle, Cherlpalle and Marala reservoirs in Anantapur district; Srinivasapuram reservoir in Kadapa district and Adivipalle reservoir in Chittoor district with a total storage capacity of 6.102 tmcft.

Under the ayacut proposals, the project will irrigate 80,000 acres in Kurnool; 3.45 lakh acres in Anantapur; 37,500 acres in Kadapa and 1.4 lakh acres in Chittoor district. 2 branch canals are covered in second phase including Madakasira branch canal and Punganur branch canal. They provide irrigation to 2.27 lakh acres, drinking water to 16 lakh population covering 257 villages in Anantapur district.

By Ravi P Benjamin