In a move to speed up the process of completing the Gouravelli reservoir works, the officials have started dismantling the houses at Gudatipally, one of the villages that would be submerged under the reservoir.
Supported by a huge police force, the officials started dismantling the houses on Wednesday afternoon. Even locks of some houses were broken open, household material was shifted in transport vehicles and the houses were dismantled with heavy machinery.
Oustees alleged that this was in violation of the orders of High Court and National Green Tribunal.
The district administration issued notices to the oustees of Gudatipally village under Gouravelli reservoir located in Akkannapet mandal of Husnabad assembly constituency, asking them to vacate the houses within a week. Dated April 18 and May 1, the notices were issued in the name of mandal revenue officer (MRO) of Husnabad. However, they were pasted reportedly on Tuesday.
“You are aware that as part of land acquisition for Gouravelli reservoir, the government has acquired your houses and lands. The compensation decided by the authorities was already deposited in your accounts. Even Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R) package was extended to all the eligible members in your family. Even then, you have not vacated these houses. We have issued notices on April 18 in this regard but in vain. Hence, we are issuing notices again requesting you to vacate these houses within one week and hand them over to the government. If you fail to do so, the government would be forced to take them into possession,” read the notices issued by the MRO.
However, villagers claimed that they did not receive the notice on April 18, as mentioned by the MRO in the fresh notice dated May 1.
By Wednesday afternoon, there was heavy police deployment in the village.
“A dozen families are still residing in the village. We had not vacated as some compensation amount is still due to us. In addition, even the High Court and National Green Tribunal have directed the authorities to stop the reservoir works immediately. Despite all this, the authorities are going ahead,” village sarpanch Baddam Raji Reddy told The Hindu.
“Although some of the houses were locked, officials broke the locks, packed the household stuff, transported them out of the village and got the houses dismantled,” said B. Shankar Reddy, one of the oustees.
