With the state government giving good compensation to the residents of Battupalli thanda who lost their land under the project, they have all become very rich now. The state government has constructed the Karivena reservoir in Bhutpur mandal of the Devarakadra constituency. Due to this, the residents of Bhattupalli thanda had to give up their lands and vacate the place.
As the government gave Rs. 5.50 lakh per acre compensation, all the 84 residents benefitted immensely. In addition, they were given Rs. 15 crore which they spent buying four acres of land. Each of them got 200 square yards and they built 90 houses with the help of local MLA Ala Venkateshwar Reddy. In gratitude, they named the colony after him.
One of the oustees, Chandu Naik said with the money he got, he bought two acres of land for Rs. 5 lakh and each of them is now commanding Rs. One crore. “I suddenly became very rich and thanks to CM KCR for his kind gesture,” he said. Another resident of Bhattupalli thanda, Patlavath Balu Naik said he migrated to Mumbai for a living. After knowing about the project and the displacement of his thanda, he came back. With the compensation the government gave, he settled well now. He is engaged in mason work and living happily now, he said.
MLA Ala Venkateshwar Reddy took care of the residents of thanda. He oversaw the construction of the new residential colony abutting the Mahabubnagar – Nagarkurnool highway. The colony has good roads, underground drainage, street lighting and safe drinking water under Mission Bhagiratha. They all bought agricultural land and earned a living as decently as ever.
The state government has adopted a humane approach to settling the compensation for these farmers who lost their land. This is a very rare case as elsewhere the farmers usually do not heed the directives of the government. But the residents here stood united and made the most of the government’s compensation.
By Gollapudi Srinivasa Rao