Compensate Veligonda project evacuees in full before shifting, demand farmers’ groups

Farmers’ organisations, agricultural workers’ groups and tenant farmers’ associations have demanded that the families displaced by the Veligonda irrigation project not be relocated from their villages until they are provided with full compensation and rehabilitation.

A round-table meeting organised by the Andhra Pradesh Rythu Sangham, Andhra Pradesh Agricultural Workers’ Union and Andhra Pradesh Tenant Farmers’ Association on Wednesday adopted a resolution, demanding that the government complete the compensation and rehabilitation process before asking the evacuees to vacate their villages.

Former Minister and Andhra Pradesh Rythu Sanghala Samanvaya Samithi convener Vadde Shobhanadreeswara Rao condemned what he described as the government’s “hasty approach” towards the displaced families.

Questioning the urgency of the proposed shift of the families, Mr. Rao demanded that the government first provide complete compensation and rehabilitation facilities and only then relocate the evacuees.

Irrigation sector expert T. Lakshminarayana questioned how water could be supplied to the Veligonda project when there was inadequate water availability in the Srisailam reservoir and the project was dependent on flood flows. 

He also questioned the purpose of supplying water without adequate irrigation canals to distribute it to farmers. Alleging that the government was putting the interests of displaced families at risk, he demanded that the relocation exercise be undertaken only after rehabilitation was completed.

Rythu Sangham State secretary K. Prabhakar Reddy, who moved the resolution, demanded that the date on which villages were actually vacated be treated as the cut-off date for identifying beneficiaries of the rehabilitation and resettlement package.

He sought recognition of young men and women who turned 18 between 2019 and 2026 as separate families for the purpose of extending the R&R package. He demanded that all eligible persons left out of the existing lists be identified and included.

Andhra Pradesh Agricultural Workers’ Union State president D. Ramadevi and others also spoke at the roundtable.