NHRC notice to Centre, A.P. Govt.

By J. Venkatesan

NEW DELHI, SEPT. 29. Taking a serious view of the likely eviction of about 75,000 people on the National Highway No. 5 between Gundugolanu in West Godavari district and Ravulapalem in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh for widening the road, the National Human Rights Commission has ordered notice to the Centre and the Chief Secretary, the Andhra Pradesh Government for reply in four weeks.

The Commission was acting on a complaint from Dr. Pentapati Pullarao, a social activist, who sought its intervention to prevent the demolition of a number of houses and buildings and the resultant eviction of thousands of people.

Dr. Pullarao drew the Commission's attention to the guidelines it had framed that relief and rehabilitation must take place before people were evicted from Government lands for road-widening. He said the National Highways Authority of India was planning to widen the highway for a stretch of 100 km. at an estimated cost of Rs. 350 cores. For that purpose it had hired the services of consultants, who it was alleged, trespassed into the houses in the way and warned the inmates that they would have to leave or their property demolished.

When this was brought to the State Government's notice, the officials said they were not the competent authority. About 75,000 people had been directly or indirectly affected by this harsh approach and already many people had been evicted or asked to move, he said. Dr. Pullarao pointed out that there was no talk of compensation, alternative house sites, employment or any relief measures which had been assured under various laws and guidelines. Hence the present complaint.

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