A plea has been moved in the Delhi High Court alleging human rights violation and forced evictions in connection with a multi-purpose irrigation project at Polavaram, in west Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh.
The petition, filed by a person affected by the project, has sought implementation of government orders on rehabilitation and resettlement of the displaced people.
The matter was listed before Justice Rajiv Shakdher, who posted it for further hearing on August 24.
The petitioner, Pentapati Pullarao, has also challenged the decision of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), which he had approached first, to close the proceedings in the matter based on a news report that similar matters were pending in the Supreme Court.
Pullarao, in his plea, said he had initially challenged the NHRC order of June last year in the apex court, which on February 9 asked him to move the high court against the commission’s decision.
The petition has alleged that the project authorities acquired the land between 2006-09 and took possession of it without giving adequate compensation to the people being displaced.
According to the petitioner, the commission, during the proceedings before it, had asked the state of Andhra Pradesh to follow the government orders on rehabilitation and resettlement.
It had also asked the state to prepare and circulate the procedure to be followed before, during and after the eviction, the plea said.
However, the interim directions of the NHRC have not been complied with, the petition added
