The Polavaram diversion scheme, proposed by the State government for transfer of the Godavari water to the Krishna river to meet the drinking and industrial needs in the Krishna delta, triggered protests from the land losers from Pattisam village in West Godavari district.
A patch of 275 acres of land falling under the river-side village has been notified by the Irrigation department authorities for building a pump house to make the lift scheme operational.
Pipelines will be laid in 15 rows which will run for a distance of 3.5km from the pump house to the open channel which will in turn be connected to the Indira Sagar Right Main Canal, as per the design. It is proposed to pump 8,500 cusecs of flood water on a daily basis from the river into the right main canal.
Farmers have been staging protest demonstrations for the last two weeks at the project site.
Demonstration staged
A demonstration with bullock carts was staged on the Kovvuru-Polavaram road near the project site, holding up traffic on Tuesday.
Farmers from this village were allegedly forced to give away their fertile lands for the right main canal, Kovvada diversion scheme, construction of Rehabilitation and Relocation (R&R) colonies for the project victims of Mamidigondi and Devaragondi and now for the lift scheme. In all, 1,000 out of 5,000 acres was acquired for the projects, according to Mr. Ramachandrudu.
The right main canal, through which Godavari water diversion is proposed via Budameru diversion channel, runs for a length of 174 km from the project site to the connecting point in the Krishna river at Prakasam Barrage in Vijayawada. The process of land acquisition for the canal works for a length of 27kms at three different points-Pedavegi, Bapulapadu and Gannavaram in West Godavari and Krishna districts landed in legal disputes as the farmers moved the court against its ‘faulty’ alignment. The exercise, involving the lands under enjoyment by tribal people, has become complicated at the 0.7km point.
