KHAMMAM: The CPI(M) district committee has called for a bandh in the tribal pockets of the district on Friday opposing the likely displacement of people on a large scale by the Polavarm project.

The CPI(M) district Secretary, Pothineni Sudarhsan, and the party's Bhadrachalam division secretary, Bandaru Ravikumar, said on Thursday that all the vehicles carrying students appearing for the SSC examination would be exempted from the bandh. They said that the party would organise protest demonstrations in all the 29 tribal mandals in the district. Road blockade was planned at Chatti, Mothugudem, Enkoor, Panditapuram and other places.

Displacement core issue

The CPI(M) leaders said that the displacement of tribals was the main issue as far as the bandh in Khammam district was concerned. The tribal communities were in a fix, as they would not get a fair deal in the implementation of the rehabilitation programme. Large-scale mobilization of people from the villages to be affected by the project is being planned. Demonstrations would be organised at all the mandal centres in Bhadrachalam and Palvancha divisions.

Besides this, the CPI(M) wanted the Government to accord scheduled area status to 400 more tribal villages in the State. Though the villages were located in the forest pockets, they were excluded from the scheduled area.

The CPI(M) asked the Government to come out with the implementation of incentives for tribals engaged in the collection of beedi leaf. The party also demanded issue of pattas for the podu lands in the enjoyment of the tribal communities.

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