The Hindu Business Line : A mega science city in thin air

The multi-billion-dollar Odyssey Science City, proposed to be set up in the backward Anantapur district, has turned out to be a big mystery for the farmers, Opposition parties and civil rights groups in the district, with the Government keeping them in the dark about the project.

The hyped announcement of the project in Hyderabad early this year had raised the hopes of thousands of farmers in the Amaduguru, Obuladeva Cheruvu, Vanavolu and Gorantla areas. There have been other expectations too as it promised 25 lakh jobs, a good number of them for the local youth.

Early this year, the Government signed a memorandum of understanding with a consortium comprising Jurong India, Springfield Land Corp and Macquarie Bank (both from Australia) and Semb Corp Industries (Singapore) to take up the project in an extent of 60,000 acres.

The science city, the consortium partners said, would have state-of-the-art infrastructure facilities to house industrial and scientific research institutes.

Lingering doubts

But doubts are aplenty. “The notification has not yet been issued. We don’t know what is the kind of the rehabilitation package the Government would offer for the displaced,” Mr Raghunadha Reddy, State Organising Secretary of Telugu Desam and MLC, told Business Line.

“The project is welcome. But there are several questions to be addressed. We are going to raise the issue in the ongoing Assembly session,” he said.

Mr Raghunadha Reddy had organised a padayatra recently demanding that the Government spell out the details of the tripartite agreement. “The Chief Minister said the Science City would generate 25 lakh jobs. But they don’ t tell us how it is going to happen,” he observed.

The Human Rights Forum (HRF) had led a fact-finding team to the villages where the proposed ‘Odyssey’ is to come up. “The local people are clueless as to what is happening. Why, the leaders of local bodies too are not aware,” Mr Chandrasekhar, who was part of the team, said.

Water scarcity

Proximity to Bangalore airport (just 100 km away) and Chennai port are said to be the reasons for locating the project here. But the big question is from where they would get water.

When referred to the desalinisation proposal to provide water to the project, Mr Raghunadha Reddy said there was no successful model in India as yet in this regard.

The HRF feels that the Government should conduct a social survey in the affected areas. “We have seen mixed reaction. While some farmers are looking forward for the project to come up, labourers are not willing to move out of their villages,” Mr Chandrasekhar said.

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