The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Polavaram oustees in a fix

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Nov 22, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Polavaram oustees in a fix

B.V.S. Bhaskar

Devipatnam (East Godavari): When thousands of farmers are happy to know about the progress of Polavaram Major Irrigation Project, people of some 50 villages, which are going to submerge in East and West Godavari districts, are worried about their future. Almost all the evacuees are in a fix over the future of their children, lands, cattle and other properties. However, they are not in a position to understand, why the political leaders and officials are spending crores of rupees in their villages for roads, community halls, drainage systems and other development works. In Devipatnam mandal, which is going to be submerged, the people are facing different kind of problems. “We are having two to five acres each.

We have taken agriculture loans and the bankers are pressurising us to repay the amount within three months, as the village will be submerged under Polavaram project,” said Sorapaneni Ramulu, Gutti Venkanna of Tangedu village in Devipatnam mandal. The private money lenders in these villages are also not coming forward to lend long-term loans for agriculture or any other purposes.

Sunnam Venkata Lakshmi of Devipatnam said a different story.

Finding suitable alliances for their children has also become a problem for people of the village as their properties and village are going to vanish in a couple of years. “Getting a good alliance for my daughter became a major problem because of Polavaram,” said Venkata Lakshmi.

D. Abraham of Ramayyapeta in Polavaram mandal, an unemployed youth said that, the bankers were not coming forward to lend money to start business.

Development works

However, in Devipatnam and Polavaram mandals of West Godavari districts, which are scheduled areas, forest, tourism and panchayat raj departments are taking up a number of new projects in the areas which are going to submerge under the project. “In the name of Vana Samrakshana Samithis, forest department has been taking up various projects, including World Bank funded community forest management schemes.

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