Khammam: Velugumatla displaced families complain about lack of facilities at shelters

Families displaced after demolition of houses at Vinobha Navodaya Colony in Khammam have alleged lack of food, water and basic facilities at temporary shelters. Drone visuals of the demolition have gone viral, drawing criticism against the government action.

Khammam: The families displaced from their houses at Vinobha Navodaya Colony in Velugumatla revenue area in Khammam urban mandal were complaining about lack of facilities at the shelters where they have been shifted after demolition of the colony.

The families and their belongings were shifted to TTDC function hall and Ambedkar Bhavan in Khammam by the officials for their temporary stay. But they were not provided any facilities for their stay.

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Speaking to the media, a labourer, Sankranti Krishna, stated that they were not provided any basic facilities. There was no food or water for them and they could not even cook their own food as their household items were dumped at Ambedkar Bhavan while they were staying at the function hall.

Another displaced person, Venkanna, said that they were depending on food supplied by some political parties and others once a day or buying food from roadside eateries. Many have small children and school-going kids, and they were worried about how long this situation would continue.

Officials stated that the household items would be shifted to the place where the families wanted to move. Most of the displaced families were poor and worked as labourers, for whom it would be difficult to find a rented house in Khammam city, he lamented.

With the revenue officials collecting details of the displaced families after the government announced that they would be provided Indiramma houses, the members of the families were shuttling between the demolition site and the shelters, hoping to enlist their names, he noted.

Meanwhile, drone visuals of the demolition of the houses of the poor in the Bhoodan lands have now come to light and have gone viral on social media, attracting severe criticism against the government action. The colony, which was once full of houses, is now seen completely covered with mounds of collapsed walls and ruins.

Netizens added the tagline ‘This is not Gaza, these are the houses demolished by the government at Velugumatla’ to the video clip, highlighting the destruction caused by the government.