Karwar: Union Minister Ananth Kumar Hegde is attempting to draw huge political mileage over distribution of compensation to displaced families, accused Ravindra Amadalli on behalf of Seabird displaced community.
Speaking at a press conference, Ravindra, General Secretary representing the displaced community in the Seabird Naval Project, said, “Hedge never supported the agitation of people displaced by Seabird project and the three time member of parliament did not raise his voice in the Parliament over the issue but is gaining political mileage over distribution of compensation.”
Though the project is centrally sponsored, the onus of land acquisition and distributing compensation lies with the state government”, Ravindra opined. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman hurriedly distributed the compensation on February 24, he charged.
People affected by the Seabird Naval Base Project which started in the year 1986 sacrificed their entire livelihood. Displaced by the project, the affected people approached Karwar civil court in 2005 seeking adequate compensation. Court judiciously announced a compensation of Rs 11,500 per cent to one Ramdas Babu Shirodkar for the agricultural land and the decision of the court was acceptable to the affected people by and large. The central government appealed against this in the apex court but the Supreme Court upheld the lower court’s decision in 2012. However, distribution of compensation was withheld for long for political gains, he accused.
On February 24, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had released a compensation of Rs 534 Crore to the displaced families of the Seabird project and informed that the remaining Rs 53 Crore would be deposited with the district administration by February 27 at a programme held in Rangamandira.
The defence minister handed over the compensation cheques to 96 displaced families during the programme in which Union Minister Ananth Kumar Hegde was present.
It may be recalled that Karnataka’s Large and Medium Industries Minister R V Deshpande, in December 2017, had submitted a memorandum to the defence minister during her visit to INS Kadamba Naval Base, requesting her for speedy release of compensation to the displaced families.
