Business EconomyPosted at: Mar 3 2026 9:27PM


Telangana: OPDR alleges eviction pressure on displaced families in Khammam Dist.; Govt Hits Back

Hyderabad, March 3 (UNI): Organisation for the Protection of Democratic Rights (OPDR) on Tuesday alleged that Telangana government officials were pressuring families displaced by the demolition of houses in Velugumatla village of Khammam district to vacate temporary relief camps.
In a statement, OPDR State Vice-President Dr. S. Jatin Kumar and State Secretary D. Vijayender said members of the organisation and the Velugumatla Bhoodan Vinoba Colony Fact-Finding Committee visited the demolished colony last Sunday and observed “disturbing developments”.
They alleged that police resorted to a lathi-charge on displaced residents who tried to prevent the arrest of Ambedkar University students who had come to express solidarity. Women and children were among those reportedly injured.
The OPDR leaders further claimed that activists of the Grameena Pedala Sangham, who were providing drinking water and food to the displaced families, were being threatened with arrest, while representatives of voluntary organisations were being prevented from meeting the affected persons.
According to OPDR, authorities were attempting to disperse the displaced families by offering Indiramma housing in their native villages under the guise of an economic survey.
The leaders alleged that officials were trying to send the families back to their original villages instead of rehabilitating them at the present site.
They also claimed that displaced persons were being summoned to the Collector’s office on the pretext of Aadhaar verification and pressured to state that they had paid large sums to housing plot committees. Officials were allegedly assuring them of housing locally while attempting to create evidence to support their version.
Condemning what it termed “inhuman actions”, OPDR said it had submitted details of the situation to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), which visited on Monday, and demanded that permanent houses be constructed for the displaced families.
Meanwhile, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had earlier criticised the demolition, alleging that around 700 houses built on bhoodan land in Velugumatla were razed with police support in the early hours of February 25 without prior notice, rendering nearly 3,000 residents homeless.
Responding to the criticism, Telangana Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy accused Vijayan of seeking political mileage ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in Kerala.
He said the state government remained committed to the welfare of the poor and asserted that protecting government land was essential to safeguard public assets.
He also alleged that a land mafia had sold bhoodan land using fake documents and assured that eligible affected families would be provided housing.
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Tags: #Telangana: OPDR alleges eviction pressure on displaced families in Khammam Dist.; Govt Hits Back
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