House site pattas handed over to families of Balimela martyrs after 18-year wait

House site pattas for Balimela martyrs' families finally handed over after 18 years, fulfilling a long-awaited promise.

Telangana Director General of Police B. Shivadhar Reddy on Tuesday (March 17) handed over house site pattas to the families of police personnel who were killed in the 2008 Balimela reservoir attack, marking the end of a prolonged wait for rehabilitation benefits promised to the martyrs’ kin.

At a programme held at the State police headquarters in Lakdikapul, title deeds were distributed to 33 beneficiary families of personnel who lost their lives in the Maoist attack on June 29, 2008. The attack, carried out near Chitrakonda in Odisha’s Malkangiri district, resulted in the deaths of 38 people, including 32 Greyhounds commandos, after Maoists targeted a police launch with gunfire and grenades, causing it to sink.

Recalling the incident, the DGP said the delay in allotting land to the families had been a long-pending issue and expressed satisfaction that it had finally been resolved after nearly 18 years.

The DGP said the fulfilment of the promise was made possible following the intervention of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, who took special initiative to address the concerns of the martyrs’ families.

The government had originally sanctioned house plots of 200 square yards each to the families through an order issued in 2013. However, the initial allocation of land in Gajularamaram village faced hurdles due to encroachments and discrepancies in survey numbers, delaying the registration process for several years. An alternative parcel of land was later identified, and the issue was resolved after amendment orders were issued in October last year, enabling the formal transfer of ownership.

Four Greyhounds personnel selected for the Union Home Minister’s Special Operation Medal for 2024 in recognition of their service. | Photo Credit: By Arrangement