The Mid Manair Reservoir submerged 13 villages; the villagers allege that have not been provided compensation of their properties.
Cheerlavancha village and MMR Project. (Commons)
Development-induced displacement has an inhuman face. It has a social, cultural, and economic impact on the displaced — and often misplaced — affecting the dignity, aspirations, and growth of even a few generations.
Till 2009, five years before Telangana was carved out of Andhra Pradesh, the now 42-year-old farmer of Cheeralavancha village in the Vemulavada Assembly constituency grew and harvested crops on his 15-acre agricultural land.
Today, the man is landless and does odd jobs to feed his family of five. Fear of reprisal prevented him from revealing his name. He preferred anonymity like several other displaced people annually — some 10 million people across the world, according to a study by The Refugee Centre.
The man’s land was acquired for the Mid Manair (MMR) project — a balancing reservoir — that was built across the Manair river. It was launched in 2006 under the then-Congress regime in the erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh.
“Not just my land, but my 242 square-yard house, too, was taken,” the farmer told South First.
When the misplaced drown their anger and sorrow in silence, some others keep speaking. The sitting MLA of Sircilla, a constituency bordering Vemulawada, Minister KT Rama Rao, addressed an election rally in his segment.
“I will adopt Vemulawada and strive to ensure its comprehensive development. A new mandal with Manneguda as its headquarters will be formed after returning to power for a third term,” the Municipal Administration and Urban Development minister promised while addressing a Praja Ashirwada Sabha.
The farmer who embraced anonymity has heard such promises several times. Ever since his eviction, he has been living in the Relief and Rehabilitation (R&R) Colony on the Karimnagar-Vemulawada road.
“My grandfather, my father, and I and my kids lived in our home. The R&R Colony lacks even the basic infrastructure,” he said.
“So, I used the part of the money (compensation) of ₹10 lakh I got to buy a bullock cart-shed to build a makeshift house there. But I have not received the compensation for my land and house till now. Many others in the village, too, are yet to get the payment,” the farmer cursed his fate.
During Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao’s maiden visit to Vemulavada town in June 2015, he promised a two-bedroom house of ₹5.4 lakh for each MMR evacuee.
However, many of them did not get the promised residence since they did not own pucca houses.
The entrance to Cheerlavancha village. (Ajay Tomar/South First)
“But that was all in vain and we struggled to build our houses. What will the minister (KTR) do by adopting this constituency now? Where was he till now? He has to resolve our problems,” he said.
The MMR project submerged 13 villages. including Cheerlavancha (the biggest), Chintalthana, Rudraram, Anupuram, and Kodurupaka.
Several villagers alleged that the government officials failed to conduct proper evaluation of their properties, resulting in a loss of compensation for their bhoomi (land), houses, animal sheds, and bavis (wells).
Another MMR project outsee, Vijay Koluguri of the Cheerlavancha village, has been awaiting the promised ₹2 lakh compensation to those aged over 18 years.
“I lost my five acres. The house was also submerged. It has been 12 years but I have not received any money,” a stoic Koluguri told South First when we met on the Cheerlavancha village road.
Villagers noted that the government divided the compensation amount into three categories: Grades one, two, and three.
“Grade one included farmers who sowed in both seasons. Those engaged in agriculture only once a year came under grade two. Those with barren lands were included on the grade three list.
Many of them are not eligible for Telangana’s flagship Rythu Bandhu scheme — a farmer’s investment scheme that pays a monthly stipend of ₹5,000.
“We don’t have land anymore so how can we avail it? From being landowners, we have turned into landless labourers. Many of us travel as far as 40 to 50 km for work. It is a huge expense as well,” the unidentified farmer said, adding that unemployment has been rising in the village.
The affected farmers have been agitating against the state government since 2014.
As recently as 2022, a ‘Maha Dharna’ was organised by the relocated villagers, urging the state government to meet their long-pending demands.
ఊరికో మోసం…వాడకో మోసం…
ఇదీ కేసీఆర్ వేషం.మిడ్ మానేరు నిర్వాసితులకు ఇచ్చిన హామీ నెరవేర్చకపోగా… వాళ్ల పై పోలీసు జులుం చేయిస్తావా!? ప్రగతి భవన్ లో బిర్యానీ దావత్ ఇవ్వడమే రైతు సంక్షేమమా!? నిర్వాసితుల అరెస్టును ఖండిస్తున్నా… తక్షణం విడుదల చెయ్యాలి. pic.twitter.com/YyZ9CSbuZz
— Revanth Reddy (@revanth_anumula) August 29, 2022
Marvadi Sudharshan, a social worker in Sircilla belonging to the Dalit Liberation Front (DLF), told South First that the displaced villagers have been hugely affected and they need livelihood to sustain themselves.
“They are earning meagre amounts by working as security guards, plumbers, electricians, and other such low-income jobs. The younger generation, who should have been attending schools is now working in shops, earning ₹3,000 to ₹4,000 per month,” he said.
Noting that several evacuees had passed away while awaiting compensation, he claimed that the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation, and Resettlement Act, 2013, should fix the amount for the former residents of the 13 villages.
In June 2015, the Telangana government formulated a policy called “The Telangana State Policy for Acquisition of Land through Agreement under the 2013 (LA) Act.”
The next month, it issued another GO, 123, for acquiring land, and other structures from landowners willing to give away their lands for public purposes.
However, the high court observed that GO 123 bypassed the 2013 Land Acquisition and that every attempt to circumvent the 2013 Act by enacting separate state acts or introducing the GOs is essentially aimed at denying those who would lose their livelihoods fair compensation for their properties.
The villagers of Cheerlavancha. (Ajay Tomar/South First)
In 2016, the state government brought in the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2016 (Telangana Amendment).
However, it was challenged in the high court as a historic protest continued in Telangana’s Siddipet district for over a year in 2017.
The outsees of Vemulaghat village demanded the implementation of the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.
“The 2016 LA Act (Telangana Amendment) is nothing but a copy of GO 123 that has already been quashed by the high court. The villagers who lost land to the MMR project should get compensation according to the 2013 Act as it provides a fair compensation,” Sudharshan opined.
He claimed that several residents of the affected villages have built houses in the R&R Colony after borrowing money or taking loans at high interest rates. “Some of them are now even selling their houses to repay the loans.”
Meanwhile, the evictees opined that the government should provide alternative employment options as well as clearing the pending dues.
“If the government puts up a factory here, it would benefit us. We should also be provided a job card and given preference in private jobs in nearby areas,” N Raju, 40, of Cheerlanvancha village, demanded.
The distressed people are now looking forward to casting their votes on 30 November, hoping that the new government would put to an end to their miseries.
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