Telangana’s Jawahar Khani-05 OC expansion project evacuees demand proper compensation

Officials promised to offer a better rehabilitation and resettlement package for around 200 evacuees. But later they told the evacuees that they would be given only 100 square yards of land each for the construction of houses as against the assured 200 square yards of land

Kothagudem: Residents who were evacuated for the Singareni Collieries Company Limited’s Jawahar Khani-05 opencast mine expansion project in Yellandu mandal have been demanding the company to pay proper compensation for the lands they lost for the project.

According to the residents, the company earmarked about 261.33 hectares of land for the project expansion under the survey number 549 of CSP Basthi gram panchayat in 21-pit area. Of that land, 154 hectares was identified for evacuation as the locals are cultivating the land.

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A gram sabha was held and a list of evacuees was released some time back but due to some lapses in the survey, it was proposed to carry out a resurvey of the area. In March last year, SCCL and revenue officials surveyed Pusapalli, Vijayalakshmi Nagar and Tilaknagar but the locals opposed the survey.

Then the officials promised to offer a better rehabilitation and resettlement package for around 200 evacuees. But later the officials backtracked on the package and told the evacuees that they would be given only 100 square yards of land each for the construction of houses as against the assured 200 square yards of land.

Speaking to Telangana Today, CPI (M) leader Abdul Nabi informed that the lands in question were leased to SCCL and were under podu cultivation. However the company was supposed to pay compensation for the lands.

In the process of acquiring the land, the revenue officials served notices to the residents seeking to explain how they took possession of the lands they were enjoying. But the residents did not respond. As the residents failed to respond, the local tahsildar ordered that the lands were handed over to SCCL.

A resident, A Harikrishna said the officials assured them to offer compensation for every acre of cultivated land but handed over the land to the company. The government should ensure proper compensation to the evacuees under R&R Act 2013, he demanded.

The residents recently met Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy seeking to address the issue. They warned that they would launch an indefinite agitation if the government failed to offer compensation as promised earlier.