Astaranga: As chorus grows against the proposed port here in Puri district, people likely to be displaced by the mega project held a parallel hearing at Pir Jahania while the public hearing for them at the Block Ground remained largely unattended until, Friday.
Environmentalists and school children joined the protest against the proposed port which will not only uproot the project-affected population from their land but also pose serious threats to the biodiversity in the eco-sensitive area. Locals have made it clear that they will not allow the project to come what may. According to information, the state government has signed a pact with Navayuga Engineering Company Limited for setting up the port here. As per the lease agreement, the port will come up on a total of 3,899.987 acres.
While the total cost of the project has been estimated at Rs 7,417 crore, additional construction of peripheral roads and connecting rail links will also be made. Friday’s public hearing for the proposed all-weather multi-user green field port project by the administration was held at the Block Ground which was attended by Additional Collector (Revenue) Kailash Nayak, Odisha State Pollution Control Board regional officer Sohan Giri, Deputy Director Soumendranath Mohanty, additional executive officer Soumyaranjan Mallik, Transport and Commerce additional secretary Bidhan Chandra Ray, special land acquisition officer Kaibalya Kumar Kar, environment engi neer Soumendra Mohanty, land ac quisition officer Niranjan Barik, Astaranga tehsildar Priyanka Priyadarshini Pati, ranger Monalisa Mohapatra, additional SP Bishnu Prasad Pati and others. People from different places participated in the programme and gave their opinions. Environmentalist and youth speaker at the United Nations Soumya Ranjan Biswal opined that the administration should keep in mind environment protection and biodiversity before setting up the port. The proposed port will not only disturb the nesting grounds of Olive Ridley turtles but also make the area venerable to na tional disasters, he said.
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Significantly, while a few residents of Ashtanga had joined the public hearing, people from the panchayats likely to be displaced by the project abstained. On the other hand, people from 12 villages of Ashtanga block came together at the mas sive hearing organised by ‘Bisthapita Birodhi Mancha and Bhitamati Surakhya Sangathan’ at JahaniaPir and expressed their opinion against the proposed port. People from Chhuriana, Jhadaling and Patalada panchayat who are likely to be displaced by the proj ect and students were also present at the event.
Residents said the sea at Astaranga which is known for its natural beauty and bio-diversity plays host to for eign migratory birds and serves as a venue for the nesting of Olive Ridley turtles every year. Moreover, the locals earn their livelihood by tilling the land and catching fish from the sea. “We will lose our homes and means of living.
Hence, we will carry on the protest until the decision is revoked,” they said. At the meet, Zilla Parishad deputy chairman Sudhir Kumar Nayak, convener Sobhakar Behera, president of Surakhya Mancha Prafulla Biswal, Astarang panchayat samiti chair person Arati Nayak, Astarang sarpanch Rama Chandra Kandi, Chhuriana sarpanch Khirod Kandi, samiti member Bimbadhar Biswal and social worker Dibakar Chhatoi spoke on the occasion protesting the project and shed lights on the problems faced by the likely displaced population and their rights and the solution to the same. Meanwhile, additional collector Nayak said, “Steps will be taken only after getting the opinions of residents.” Since the public hearing was held 12km away from the likely affected area, the next hearing will be held at ground zero, as per the High Court’s direction.