CPI(M) padayatra has brought back focus on Polavaram-displaced people, says leader
The Hindu
The ‘Polavaram Nirvasitula Poru Keka Maha Padayatra’, which was organised recently by the CPI(M) State Committee, has highlighted the fact that Polavaram project is not only about the construction of the dam but also proper rehabilitation of the families displaced by the project, the party’s State secretary V. Srinivasa Rao said
The ‘Polavaram Nirvasitula Poru Keka Maha Padayatra’, which was organised recently by the CPI(M) State Committee, has highlighted the fact that Polavaram project is not only about the construction of the dam but also proper rehabilitation of the families displaced by the project, the party’s State secretary V. Srinivasa Rao said.
The padayatra, held from June 20 to July 4, has put the State government on its toes, which is evident with Minister for Water Resources Ambati Rambabu issuing a statement a day after the padayatra that discussions would be held with leaders of all the villages affected by the Polavaram project in a week’s time.
Mr. Srinivasa Rao had led the 380-km padayatra which covered 270 villages in 12 mandals in 15 days. He was in the city to express solidarity with CPI(M) leaders and activists who launched a 24-hour hunger strike at Gandhi Statue here on Friday in protest against the privatisation of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant.
In a chat with The Hindu, on the sidelines of the protest, the CPI(M) State secretary said that the party had been demanding rehabilitation of the Polavaram-displaced persons, ever since former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy had planned to execute the project as part of his ‘Jalayagnam’ initiative. A delegation of the CPI(M) had met Rajasekhara Reddy in 2005, and apprised him of the consequences involved in going ahead with the project without first properly rehabilitating the families that would be displaced.
After YSR’s death in 2009, the Congress government had reduced funds for the project,” Mr. Srinivasa Rao recalled.
“After coming to power in 2014, the then Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu took up the project, and claimed to have completed 75% of the project work. Design faults led to the collapse of the guide wall during the floods in July 2022. This led to doubts regarding the safety of the dam. Initially, it was estimated that only 20 villages were at risk of submersion, but after a radar survey, it was found that 36 more villages would be submerged. This clearly indicates that the contour survey was faulty,” Mr. Srinivasa Rao claimed.
Mr. Srinivasa Rao said the CPI(M)‘s padayatra proved to be successful as no other political party was willing to the woes of the displaced persons. “Our team was welcomed by sympathisers of the ruling YSRCP, opposition TDP, JSP and locals alike. It is only after our padayatra that MLC Ananth Babu is inviting the displaced persons for discussions,” he said.
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