Tension prevailed at Gudatipally village in Akkannapet mandal of Siddipet district as land oustees of Gouravelli reservoir tried to stop work on the project demanding compensation and police resorted to lathicharge. About 15 oustees, including women, were injured in the melee.
Since early morning on Thursday, large number of policemen wearing protective gears started arriving at the project site in vehicles. Some of them even reportedly reached there late on Wednesday night. Sensing something amiss, a large number of oustees also arrived there. Soon after mobilising the police, the authorities commenced the reservoir works ignoring the appeals by oustees.
Alleging that the works are being taken up without full payment of compensation, the oustees tried to stop the work. Police used force to stop them and caned them, resulting in injuries to 15 persons. For more than four hours the tension continued.
“The officials are trying close the road that connects Gudatipally, Somaji tanda, Banda tanda, Jalvai tanda, Chintal tanda, Tenugupallty and Maddilapally with Husnabad revenue divisional headquarter. There are about 1,100 families residing in these villages. There is no other way to reach the villages except this route. What can we do if they close the road?” asked Baddam Yella Reddy, one of the oustees from Gudatipally. The oustees also said that the promised compensation of ₹ 6 lakh to youth aged above 18 years of these villages and tandas numbering more than 300 was also not cleared by the government so far and no one knows when the amount will be released.
“We wish that double bedroom houses be allocated to the families of oustees as in other irrigation projects, but the government is not coming forward. Our MLA who promised in the past to allot these houses is now stating that he never made any such promise. Who should we approach, who will address our problems?” asked Baddam Raji Reddy, sarpanch of the village, adding that some women were also injured in the lathicharge.
The villagers reopened the road again by evening but the reservoir works were stopped for the time being.
