Veligonda Project is an under-construction irrigation project in Andhra Pradesh's Prakasam district under which 43.50 TMC (one thousand million cubic feet) of floodwater from Krishna River will be drawn from the foreshore of the Srisailam Project Reservoir and will be carried in two tunnels to feed into the Nallamala Sagar Reservoir. The construction had commenced in 2005 and was scheduled to be completed by 2008. However, the project has seen several delays and cost escalations, and the revised target of completion is now 2020. The objective of the project is to provide irrigation facilities to 4,47,300 acres of land and drinking water to 15.25 Lakh people in 30 mandals of Prakasam, Nellore and Kadapa Districts who have been affected by flouride contamination of groundwater.
While the government figures indicate that only 472.53 acres of private land are to be acquired, news reports estimate the figure to be 40,000 acres. Eleven villages will submerge due to the damming of the Nallamalla reservoir, affecting 3,863 families. Officials announced a rehabilitation and resettlement package to construct settlement colonies with the entire infrastructure ready in place by the time the families shift. Six relief and rehabilitation centers were identified.
It has been more than a decade since the package was announced, but there has been no progress in the infrastructure works. In the meantime, the number of beneficiaries have increased from 4,300 to 9,000, as the children have grown up and some of them have married.
In 2017, the oustees protested for enhanced compensation as per the 2013 Land Acquisition Act. Veligonda Project Oustees Committee convenor Galli Venkatram Reddy said, “We will soon start ‘Amaravati Chalo’ programme, seeking a better deal for the displaced people.”
By June 2019, the displaced families continued to live in congested houses in their villages waiting for the promised rehabilitation package. They refused to leave even though the government had notified theirs as submerging villages.
Prakasam district joint collector S. Nagalakshmi said the land for remaining settlement colonies at Vemulakota and Ondutla had been identified and that layout proposals were sent to the rehabilitation and resettlement commissioner. She said they were trying to convince the government for a suitable package.
In June 2019, farmers again demanded a better package as per the Land Acquisition Act of 2013 as well as compensation for the delay in implementing the relief packages.
The families that have been displaced due to the project argue that the Rs 12.5 lakh compensation being offered to them as part of the Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R) package is insufficient as many of them have debt that has accumulated upto Rs 10 lakh. The locals explained that they were forced to borrow from private money lenders since their villages have been notified as submerged and all government benefits were ceased. The villagers demanded the state government to increase the compensation amount to least Rs 20 lakh.
Officials identified around 7,555 families from 11 submerging villages and promised to construct rehabilitation colonies for them.
In March 2024, the then Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy inaugurated the 18.82-km-long twin tunnels of Poola Subbaiah Veligonda Project at Yeguvacherlopalli village in Dornala mandal of Prakasam district and stated that the government will spend Rs 1200 crore on R&R (Rehabilitation and Resettlement) package, which will be completed by July or August.
In November 2024, CPI(M) politburo member B V Raghavulu requested the government to chalk out plans for the completion of the Veligonda project and allocate the necessary funds so that the reservoir can be filled by the next flood season (July 2025).
Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Demand for compensation
Demand for more compensation than promised
Demand for rehabilitation
Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Demand for more compensation as number of beneficiaries have increased
Region Classification
Rural
Type of Land
Common and Private
Forest
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Details of sources (names of accused, names and numbers of any lawyers, names of any police officers contacted)
Status of Project
Project underway despite protests
Original Project Deadline
2020
Whether the Project has been Delayed
Yes
Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users
Agricultural land, Other Natural Resource extraction/dependence, Residential area
Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict
Source/Reference
Total investment involved (in Crores):
₹
5150
Type of investment:
Cost of Project
Year of Estimation
1996
Has the Conflict Ended?
No
When did it end?
Why did the conflict end?
Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict
Land Acquisition Laws, Forest and Scheduled Area Governance Laws
Legislations/Policies Involved
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Whether claims/objections were made as per procedure in the relevant statute
What was the claim(s)/objection(s) raised by the community?
What was the Decision of the Concerned Government Department?
Legal Processes and Loopholes Enabling the Conflict:
Non-rehabilitation of displaced people
Non-payment of compensation/promised compensation
Controversial land acquisition by the government
Delay in allottment and possession of land/property
Legal Status:
Out of Court
Status of Case In Court
Whether any adjudicatory body was approached
No
Name of the adjudicatory body
Name(s) of the Court(s)
Case Number
Main Reasoning/Decision of court
Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:
Whether criminal law was used against protestors:
No
Reported Details of the Violation:
Date of Violation
Location of Violation
Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:
Department of Irrigation, Government of Andhra Pradesh
PSUs Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?
No
Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached
Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?
No
Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:
Project Displaced People, Veligonda Project Oustees Committee
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?
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