Land oustees of Bahilampur poured their hearts out to IV Additional District Judge Saritha, who visited their village in Mulugu mandal on Saturday to examine the demolished houses and record their statements.
The judge had been directed to visit Bahilampur and Mamidyala and record statements of affected families after the High Court took serious note of the forceful eviction by district authorities in the two villages that were submerged by the Kondapochamma reservoir on Thursday night. The petitioner families had approached the court seeking compensation under Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act- 2013.
Statements of B. Shyam Sunder Reddy, B. Malla Reddy, K. Satyanarayana Reddy and M. Ilaiah were recorded in a room in which the judge, a typist and petitioner were present.
“The deadline to vacate the village was fast approaching. On April 28, we met our counsel and the next day, we received a call from officials about vacating my house. I said it would not be possible until we are allotted double-bedroom houses. On April 30, officials again put pressure to vacate the house failing which they would take stern action. My wife and I got scared and decided to vacate. We shifted most of our belongings to the newly allotted temporary accommodation at Mulugu. I could not shift my AC, fridge and TV, and so, urged the officials to give me time till Friday morning. But around midnight, my house was dismantled and those electronic equipment were damaged,” Mr Shyam Sunder Reddy told The Hindu on Saturday.
He said he has informed the judge about the pressure and problems they have faced from the administration during the past few days as well as the damage caused.
Media personnel were not allowed into the villages. The oustees of Mamidyala village said that the Judge would record their statements on Sunday at Tunkibollarum.
