Karnataka - Gulbarga   

Bennethora evacuees living in deplorable conditions

Special Correspondent

Rehabilitation centre at Nagur does not have basic amenities

LURKING DANGER: A large pool of water near the rehabilitation centre at Nagur village in Gulbarga poses a health hazard to the residents of the colony.

GULBARGA: Evacuees of the Bennethora major irrigation project in the district are living in deplorable conditions in rehabilitation centres established by the Water Resource Department as they have to do without basic amenities such as drinking water, electricity and schools.

Although the places where the rehabilitation centres were to be set up were identified many years ago and the authorities had ample time to take up construction of temporary sheds with all amenities, most of the centres have none of the facilities.

At the rehabilitation centres about five km away from Nagur village, over 100 families are living in appalling conditions with pools of water around the centre where mosquitoes breed. Snakes and scorpions are frequently sighted near the makeshift sheds.

The people of Nagur were hurriedly shifted to the rehabilitation centre this year. They found to their shock that the centre has no approach road or temporary sheds.

Protest

It was only after the residents protested that the Water Resource Department officials took up the construction of temporary sheds to enable the people to move into them. However, the sheds lack basic facilities such as flooring.

The 102 families living in the rehabilitation centre have to depend on one borewell for their drinking water and other requirements.

The temporary sheds have not been provided electricity connections, and people are forced to live in dark during the night.

Some affected people including octogenarian Sharanappa Itagi, who had a pucca house in Nagur, was forced to shift to a temporary shed with his family members after water started entering the village and submerged his home.

Mr. Itagi, who said he lost 1.5 acres of land on the banks of the river and his house in the backwaters of the dam, claimed that he has not been paid compensation so far. Similar complaints of non-payment of compensation were made by Malkajappa and Chennaveerappa Kapnur.

CPI(M) State Secretariat member Maruti Manpade, who accompanied a team of presspersons to the rehabilitation centre and Tadkal and Kurikota village, said that apart from providing basic amenities at the rehabilitation centre, the Government should construct a separate rehabilitation centre near Herur Cross village by acquiring 45 acres of land. He demanded that Tadkal and Kurikota be declared as submerged villages and the villagers be shifted to rehabilitation centres after paying them compensation.

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