CPM State Secretary V Srinivasa Rao has requested Water Resources Minister Nimmala Ramanaidu to resolve the long-standing problems within the Polavaram project area, saying that there are no basic facilities in many places in the displaced colonies, including drinking water, schools, drainage and road facilities.
He led a CPM delegation along with party state secretariat members B Balaram, Rampachodavaram district secretary B Kiran, Eluru district secretary A Ravi, state committee members M Nagamani, A Ashok and others, along with the victims, submitted a petition to the Minister at the Velagapudi Secretariat.
Srinivasa Rao explained all the difficulties faced in the flooded area to the minister. Later, he spoke to the media and said that there were mistakes in identifying the flooded villages and in the contour calculations in the Polavaram flooded area. He said that if half of a village is submerged, the other half is recorded in the records as being in the non-submersible area.
He said that the central and state governments are not taking proper initiative in solving the problems of the displaced people of the Polavaram project. He said that the project was divided into two phases and in the first phase, 20 villages will be submerged and 20 thousand people will be declared displaced.
Rao explained that after the padayatra and other agitations held in 2022 and 2023, the number of villages submerged in the first phase was increased to 38. In fact, 193 villages were submerged before reaching 40 meters in the last floods, and even after the people protested loudly, it was agreed to include 36 more villages, but it was not implemented.
He said that it was decided that this would cost another Rs. 5,200 crore, but the villages that were submerged at 45.5 meters were also submerged in the floods last year. It was explained that the flood reached the villages regardless of the steps and contour calculations, and the central and state governments did not take all these facts into consideration.
Rao asked the center to ensure that the package funds for R&R are fully sanctioned. He asked that there is a possibility of floods again this year, and to immediately alert the machinery to supply essential goods to the flooded villages.
Responding to the request of the CPM delegation, Minister Nimmala Ramanaidu said that a special cell would be set up to resolve the problems of the displaced. From there, he spoke to the commissioner on the phone and inquired about the problems. He said that if necessary, he would visit the residential areas at the field level and take steps to resolve the problems.