HYDERABAD : The State Government has evolved the best relief and rehabilitation package in the country for land oustees of Polavaram project and is yet willing to consider their problems on humanitarian grounds, according to Major Irrigation Minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah.

"We are open to suggestions for changes in the package with a human face", Mr. Laxmaiah told a dialogue meeting on the project organised by various NGOs here on Thursday.

He appealed to the participants to rise above narrow considerations to ensure that the package was

implemented. It was finalised after detailed discussions with political parties and social activists, including Narmada Bachao Andolan leader, Medha Patkar.

Earlier, TRS MP of Hanamkonda B. Vinod Kumar, said the Government had yielded to political and regional pressures in deciding to go ahead with the Polavaram project.

Points of view

Environmentalist Shivaji Rao was of the opinion that a smaller barrage would serve the same purpose as a dam at the site. He said the project was finalised without preparing risk analysis, environmental impact and disaster management reports. Former Chief Engineer of Irrigation Cherukuri Veeraiah opined that it should have been left to the Central Water Commission to decide whether to go for rock-fill earth dam or concrete dam.

Kolli Nageswara Rao of CPI demanded that the project be continued in its present design while B. Tulasidas of CPI (M) lamented several constitutional violations in the implementation.

M. Rama Rao, ZPTC member of V.R. puram mandal in Khammam district, which is a submergence area, said the land oustees were yet to recover from the shock of Government's resolve to go ahead with the project.

Another woman, Kota Sitamahalaxmi, said the oustees did not expect the Government to come to their rescue. G. Biksham, Project Director, World Wide Fund for Nature, also spoke.

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