The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Visakhapatnam News : Clash over rehabilitation issue, 15 hurt

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 01, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam

Clash over rehabilitation issue, 15 hurt

By Our Special Correspondent

Ganagalla Raju, a fisherman from Gangavaram, shows his injured hand.

VISAKHAPATNAM, FEB. 28. Over 15 persons were injured in a clash on Monday between the villagers of Dibbapalem and Gangavaram on one side and Venkannapalem on the other, in the attack on Venkannapalem. Two of the injured were being treated in private hospitals.

Clashes broke out between the villagers over the rehabilitation package and employment the displaced persons will receive in the proposed Gangavaram major port near the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP). The package will take of the displaced from the villages that will make way for the construction of the port.

The people of Venkannapalem allegedly attacked those from Gangavaram and Dibbapalem, near the Venkannapalem junction, when the latter had successfully blocked a bid to include outsiders in the list of persons to be given the rehabilitation package.

The Collector, Praveen Prakash, and the Commissioner of Police, K.V.S. Kaumudi, rushed to the area and tried to pacify the fishermen. The situation was under control and a large number of policemen had been deployed, according to Mr. Kaumudi.

Bogus colony

A bogus colony in the name of TNR Colony which was allegedly created by T. Nagireddy, an uncle of the local MLA, T. Gurumurthy Reddy, near Venkannapalem, was the reason for the clash.

As many as 536 structures were recently built on a 11-acre private site and Mr. Nagireddy, who is Village Administrative Officer of Peda Gantyada, allegedly sold these `houses' to outsiders by collecting Rs. 40,000 to Rs. 60,000 from each with an assurance that they would be eligible for the rehabilitation package. Jobs were also reportedly promised if they paid additional amount.

But the fishermen of nearby villages appealed to the Collector against this bogus colony, after an inspection of the TNR Colony, set aside the claim of the applicants from the colony on February 26. This incensed the bogus beneficiaries and they reportedly led by Mr. Nagireddy, started attacking the villagers of Gangavaram and other villages as they were passing by Venkannapalem junction on their way to their work and other places.

School, shops attacked

Soon the residents of fishermen villagers attacked Venkannapalem village. On the way they allegedly damaged a bus belonging to the school run by Mr. Nagireddy and destroyed wine shops of his supporters. A poultry farm was also set on fire and a fire tender, on its way to the spot was stopped and its windshields broken. There was some retaliation from the Venkannapalem villagers and the police moved in to disperse both sides.

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