The Polavaram Irrigation Project, under construction on the river Godavari, in the Telengana region of Andhra Pradesh, bordering Orissa and Chhattisgarh, is one of the largest projects undertaken by the Indian Government, with its cost running into several thousands of crores. The government claims that this project, with a projected capacity of 9000 MW, is meant for irrigation and power generation and will benefit many villages in coastal Andhra—West and East Godavari districts.

There is a flip side to this claim. The dam that is to be built under this project will permanently submerge 300 villages (mostly tribals) in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Orissa, with Andhra Pradesh taking the maximum brunt of 276 villages being submerged!. Along with the villages, a rich source of bio-diversity and huge quantity of mineral wealth will be submerged. The benefits that the dam will bring to the affected population are very questionable. Both East and West Godavari districts in the Andhra region of Andhra Pradesh are already sufficiently irrigated. Not even a single tmc of water is earmarked for the drought prone districts of Telengana, despite the fact that more than 70 percent of the Godavari water flows through the Telengana region! On the contrary, there is suspicion that the AP government plans to divert waters to the proposed Vishakhapatnam-Kakinada SEZ (industrial corridor); this will also facilitate the easy transportation of the bauxite ore to the industrial site. Further, the AP government is promising free water supply for all the industries coming up in this SEZ.

An all India fact-finding team - comprising of a vice-chancellor, readers and lecturers of universities, an advocate and well-known social activists - toured across 9 mandals, between March 3-6 this year, in the districts of Khammam, East and West Godavari districts that are to be affected by the Polavaram Dam Project. The team had extensive discussions with the people of various villages and sarpanches. It also met the various organizations formed to fight against the question of displacement of lives and livelihoods. The team has recommended extensive studies in the affected areas at regular intervals taking into consideration the enormity of the situation with the threat of displacement of vast sections of the people.

It is a fact that even the various government agencies empowered to give the project a go-ahead have so far not given their consent. These include agencies like the Central Water Commission (CWC), Wildlife Department, Mining and Tribal Ministries. All this makes it obvious that there are many doubts about the expected benefits of the project and more deliberation is needed to consider the negative impact on the people, especially the poorer sections, be they tribal or non-tribal.

Unholy haste in foisting the project on the people

Instead of acceding to this necessity, the government of Andhra Pradesh has rushed into the project. The land acquisition has begun even before it could be known whether the required permissions would be obtained from the relevant departments and agencies. The people havenot been consulted nor their due consent been taken before proceeding with the acquisition of land for the construction of the dam. In most villages, the mandatory Gram Sabha meetings did not take place to discuss and deliberate on the issue of Polavaram. Wherever it has happened it was facilitated under the shadow of heavy police deployment with a battery of government officials threatening the villagers with dire consequences.

Where the government has expected opposition, it has gone as far as offering compensation, seeking to drive a wedge between the tribal and non-tribal populations. There appears to be no principle in the compensation, and in many cases, the offer is only verbal rather than through any documented intervention.

The people who have protested against the construction have been threatened by the officials belonging to the office of the collector and others departments at the district and block levels. Those who sat on dharna from the Chegondipally with village in Polavaram mandal have been charged with treason. While some villagers have been imprisoned for between two weeks to three months in the Rajamundry prison, warrants have been issued against others for allegedly burning the huts at the construction site of the spill way.

People must fight to assert their interests

This is one more instance that reflects the complete marginalization of people from decision making on issues that affect their lives fundamentally. It also exposes the deceit and fraud practiced on the people in the name of local self-government. In response to the struggles of the people to be heard, and to blunt their political opposition, the whole mirage of Panchayati Raj Institutions was constitutionally established in the ‘90s to foster the illusion that people are being consulted at village and block levels on issues that affect their lives. Not only has this remained a myth, its form has been repeatedly used to beat the people into submission, like coercing decisions at the village sabha that are against the interests of the village community.

This is yet another “development” project that will deprive thousands of the poorest people of their homes and livelihood and throw them into the ranks of the displaced, while it will benefit the rich capitalists. The struggles of the people of the Narmada valley has stayed the course of the various projects on that river only temporarily. While temporary victories have been won, the ruling class has continued with its plans, using the court, the police and other state apparatus as necessary. What that example, and many others like it, clearly show is that the interests of the people can be safeguarded and furthered only when they are empowered to legislate and political rule is exercised by them through their representatives. All struggles for the cessation of the project till the issues raised by the affected communities are clarified should be carried out with the long-term perspective that people must become the masters of their own destiny.