Andhra Pradesh

MMD land oustees’ demands accepted

KARIMNAGAR: The State government has accepted the major demands of the land oustees of the Mid Manair Dam (MMD) project on Wednesday.

Collector Sandeep Kumar Sultania and Joint Collector K Sashidhar held talks with the representatives. TRS legislator Etala Rajender, CPI legislator Chada Venkat Reddy, TDP MLC Ch. Sudhakar Rao, CPI M leader Sarangapani, MMD land oustees welfare association leaders R. Venkat Rao, Mahesh, Shankar, Latchi Reddy and others participated in the talks with the administration.

The Collector assured the completion of compensation payment of the land and the structures within six months. The administration had also agreed for the payment of new rates for the structures such as houses, inclusion of 18-year-old girls and 60-year-old women in the rehabilitation package for securing employment and houses respectively. The administration also accepted the demand for providing jobs to all the land oustees including labourers, farm labourers, artisans, Gulf migrants, nomadic tribes of the affected villages. The government had also agreed for the payment of compensation to all the partially submerged villages under the project. With regard to the demand of payment of Rs. 4 lakh per acre as compensation to the land oustees, providing three guntas of house sites to each family, the Collector said that he would recommend it to the government.

The leaders threatened to further intensify agitation if the government fails to fulfil the promises within one month period. DCC president T. Santosh Kumar and PCC spokesperson K. Mruthyunjayam also visited the camp at the MMD project site in Kodurupaka village. It may be recalled that the government had succumbed to the pressures following the maha dharna programmed launched by all parties under the aegis of TRS from Tuesday.

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu