Daspalla: With land acquisition and tunnel construction emerging as major hurdles, the much-awaited Khurda-Bolangir rail route project has now encountered significant resistance from villagers over land. With the 2,600-metre-long tunnel between Munduli Nuagaon and Patharganda (Jamusahi) nearing completion, the project is set to overcome a major obstacle. However, the residents of Buguda village under Takara panchayat in this block have strongly opposed the project over land acquisition issues.
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More than a hundred tribal villagers, armed with traditional weapons, gathered near the project site and marked their opposition by erecting red flags along their village boundary, Wednesday. They warned that the rail route construction would not be allowed to proceed unless they were compensated for the land they were losing with equal land. The villagers issued a stern warning, asserting that if the government proceeds with the project forcefully, they will continue their protest and put up a fight to the last drop of blood. They emphasised that the government must not displace their families and livestock without providing adequate land for resettlement.
Some residents expressed their anguish, saying, “The government settled us here in 1956. If they take away our land now, how will we survive? What will we eat?” When contacted, Daspalla tehsildar Smruti Ranjan Satapathy assured that all affected individuals would receive appropriate compensation. He mentioned that discussions have already been initiated with some of the villagers in the last two to three days to resolve the issue.
