Karnataka polls: Displaced Bagalkot families to confront vote-seekers

“I was born and brought up here in Killa. The house we lived in was pulled down after thousands of dwellings submerged during the construction of Almatti Dam (Upper Krishna Project). I come here often as I am emotionally attached to the place,” says Harish, who lived in a rented house, and is yet to be compensated like many others even after the project was completed in 2005.

The project was taken up to irrigate drought-prone areas of Bijapur, Bagalkot, Kalaburagi, Yadgir, and Raichur districts, but large areas of land in Bagalkot got submerged in the filling of the dam. Although the people who lived in 521-522 counters were given a compensation and allotted sites in Nava Nagar, about one thousand families that lived in rented houses have still not been given any kind of indemnity. Also, about 5,000 properties from counters 523-525 that were acquired for the project have not yet been even valued.

In the hope of owning their own piece of land bought with compensation given by the government, a number of such people live in small houses in narrow lanes of the town. “Where do we go? How do we even settle down if compensation due to us tenants is delayed for years and years?” Harish wonders aloud.

Losers of properties in 21 and 22 counters say they got monetary relief and alternate sites as the then S M Krishna government budgeted `406 crore for the purpose, which was awarded in 2015. Ashok Limbavali, who took up the cause of the displaced people with the authorities then, says another 1,000 plus properties have been marked for demolition “should the level of the dam be raised to 525 feet”.
People in the area have “lost patience” after waiting to be paid for over a decade, so “when they come to us seeking our votes, we will ask political parties and candidates what their stand on the payment of relief to the 1,000 families who lived in rented house is, as also on the acquisition of land to implement Scheme B after due payment,” says Ashok.

“The government is going slow on the acquisition as it requires about `1,000 crore to pay for it, since people of the area are demanding compensation based on the present market value,” he says. Another resident of the area, Hongal Desai, accuses officials of “lacking the political will and interest”.  He ridicules the government plans to take over more land after assuring them alternate land. People here say legislators and officials of Bagalkot Development Authority among others have “not even held talks” with traders and beneficiaries or “reviewed” the project and rehabilitation packages.

Shopkeepers and residents of the market area and Panka Masjid are a worried lot as 860 structures are identified “to be submerged” if the  dam height is increased. Nawaz, a shopkeeper, rues the fact that the place “we are sitting on will become an island” if the height of the dam is increased. “The government should have spoken to us and started the rehabilitation package in phases, as it very difficult to shift to a new place and rebuild our lives,” he says.

“Tipu Sultan Circle, which used to be crowded lies desolate now as it is void of business, for as many as 3,000 affected families moved to Nava Nagar and other localities,” he adds.  Chandrappa Sawdi, a local, has a specific requirement. He will appeal to candidates in the fray to facilitate sand to victims of the submergence at a subsidised cost. “We cannot buy sand for `40,000 a lorry to build our house when we have been allotted just `3-4 lakh as compensation, can we?” he asks. He says, “As it is, the cost of construction is high given that we have to lay a foundation of up to 10 ft as the soil of allotted land is loose.”

Accusing the government of failing to keep its promise, Sangaiah S Saganachari, another local, says rehabilitation of displaced families will be a poll issue in these elections. “The government should pay compensation for 1 lakh acres that we gave up for the project, and also to those properties that will be submerged till 24 counter.”

“Delay in paying compensation and apprehensions the families live with in the event of more land being occupied has led to social and physiological problems. A serious effort must be made to rebuild lives of people who scarified their livelihood and property to improve irrigation in the area. Further delay will leave us with no option but to migrate to other cities or even Maharashtra,” he says.

Marooned

Over a dozen villages  on the other side of the Krishna  and submerged villages are left with  villagers, who cross the river in coracles for `5 a person to supply milk and other essentials at Bagalkot.
While it takes less than 10 minutes to cross the river during summer, crossing a swollen river increases the time considerably. Herimath of Kadampur says they end up having to travel 25 Km of such days.