It is a home away from home for many tribal families that have been evacuated from the low-lying areas in view of the Godavari floods and temporarily housed in the Resettlement and Rehabilitation (R&R) Colonies constructed for the Polavaram project-displaced.
The Koya and Kondareddy tribal families performed ‘gruha pravesam’ (house-warming) and entered the new houses in the Dacharam and Sivaka colonies in Kukunur mandal.
The authorities had shifted about 4,000 families staying in the low-lying areas of Polavaram, Kukunur and Velerupadu mandals to various relief centres arranged in the upland areas, and a few of them were put up in the R&R Colonies five days ago.
According to the official sources, 1,05,601 families, including 56,495 Scheduled Tribes, were affected due to the Polavaram project in East and West Godavari districts, and the government is planning to shift them to the R&R Colonies in a phased manner.
Speaking to The Hindu on Friday, K.R. Puran Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) Project Officer R.V. Suryanarayana, who was monitoring the implementation of the R&R package for the project-displaced families, said that 373 habitations spread over seven mandals in the two district would be affected due to the national project.
‘Temporary accommodation’
“We have temporarily shifted 220 families to the Dacharam and Sivaki R&R Colonies constructed in the upland areas of Kukunur mandal. The tribal people have expressed their happiness over the facilities provided in the colonies,” Mr. Suryanarayana said.
“They too are project-displaced. They would have been accommodated in the R&R Colonies in due course of time,” he said, and added, “The ITDA is supplying them milk, vegetables, rice, dal, biscuits, fruits, edible oil and kerosene.”
Meanwhile, a few villagers from Rudramkota and Tatukurugommu urged Health Minister Alla Kali Krishna Srinivas, district in-charge Minister Perni Venkataramaiah and Polavaram MLA T. Balaraju, who visited them recently, to shift them to the R&R Colonies on a permanent basis as early as possible and protect them from recurring floods.
“We are living in constant fear on the banks of the Godavari. Snakes and other venomous reptiles are finding their way into the houses because of the flood waters. To top it all, there is no power supply for the last few days,” Lakshman of Tatukurugommu said.