KHAMMAM: Tribal communities from 18 villages of Dantewada district in Chhatisgarh, facing the risk of submergence by the Polavaram project, are up in arms. They gathered in large numbers at their divisional headquarters - Konta - on Sunday and resolved to fight against the project. They constituted a committee with K. Hari Singh as president to take up the issue with the Government.

Tribals leaders Soyam Bhima, Madakam Kursa and Ch. Venkateswarlu, who were inducted into the panel, voiced concern over the displacement in the Konta area by the project . They said villages such as Asirigudem and Vinjaram would be affected by the project if it was constructed as per original design. They wanted the steps to spare the villages of Chhatisgarh from submergence.

The committee decided to hold a much bigger rally against the project at their district headquarters of Dantewada on December 19. The committee members would make a representation to the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh immediately. The submergence would affect mainly the forest area depriving the tribal communities of minor forest produce, they said.

`National issue'

In the meantime, CPI (M) central committee member Thammineni Veerabhadram said the Polavaram project opposed by the tribal communities in Andhra Pradesh, Chhatisgarh and Orissa had turned out to be a national issue. Addressing a seminar on the Polavaram project and the Government stand at Bhadrachalam, he said the State Government was going all out to implement it.

He said a vast majority of people in the affected areas were opposing the construction and their views could not be ignored. He said the CPI(M) would stand by the displaced people and fight for their cause.

The directions of the Supreme Court empowerment committee should be honoured by all means. He said the officials would not be allowed into the villages facing the risk of submergence for any sort of survey.

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