Kendrapara: Acting on the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) orders regarding the construction of a mega drinking water project on gramya jungle kissam category land without getting clearance under the Forest Conservation Act, Kendrapara Collector Dasarathi Satapathy and DFO of Cuttack, Mohammed Rahman, and senior officials Thursday went to the project site at Manikunda village in Marshaghai block for a joint inspection.
The team checked documents to verify whether the project has secured clearance under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980.
Collector Satapathy said no irregularities were found in the project, but the RWSS had not applied as per the prescribed process for setting up the mega water supply project.
The project was being implemented as people faced saline ingress. The RWSS had gone ahead with the project on a war footing without applying through proper channels. But the project will be regularised, the Collector said.
“Rectification was needed for applying for permission. It will not be treated as violation as compliance will be ensured under the supervision of the Cuttack DFO within seven days. All rules as per the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, will be followed,” Satapathy told the RWSS.
There were allegations that trees were cut for the project, but during the field visit it was found that not even a single tree was cut for the project, said Sub-collector Sanjay Kumar Mishra who was also in the team.
The total area in which the project is being built is 15.43 acres. But the project requires only five acres. The tehsildar will provide another five acres to the forest department. The process has started to hand over the five acres.
Collector Satapathy said, “We are going to submit a detailed inspection report and an Action Taken Report to the NGT.”
DFO Rahman said the RWSS violated rules while applying due to their ignorance of the Forest Conservation Act, 1980. The land in which the mega water project is located is not forest, but belongs to the jungle kissam category as it is surrounded by agriculture fields, he said.
“We are going to advise the department to apply as per the Forest Conservation Act. Violation occurred at the site as the construction agency had set up a shed and had dug earth for putting up the foundation without getting permission under the Forest Conservation Act.”
February 18, the Principal Bench of the NGT had ordered the District Magistrate of Kendrapara, and the DFO of Cuttack to jointly inspect the area.
The DM and the DFO were told that if the allegation was found right then action should be taken and included in the ATR.
The NGT also directed to complete the exercise within two weeks and the compliance report should be send to the Tribunal via e-mail. Further orders will be made in this case April 23.
The orders were issued by Justice SP Wangdi, Justice K Ramakrishnan, the Judicial Member and Dr Nagin Nanda, the Expert Member of NGT.
The complaint was filed by Alaya Samantaray of Masakani and Sampad Swain of Marshaghai.
The petitioners said that the construction of the project on Plot No: 363 and 323, bearing khata No: 644 in Manikunda of Marshaghai tehsil, was being carried out by the Panchayat Raj and Drinking Water Department of Odisha.
The project was being executed by L&T on kissam gramya jungle land measuring 15.43 acres without getting the approval of the Centre as required under the Forest Conservation Act 1980.
The petitioners said that they had earlier approached the Collector of Kendrapara, RDC (Central) Cuttack, Chief Secretary, the Principal Secretary of the Forest and Environment Department and the DFO of Kendrapara and had apprised them about the illegal construction on forest land.
The petitioners alleged that despite their representations construction has been going on using heavy vehicles and it was changing the nature of the forest land recorded as gramya jungle in revenue records.
The private agency hired for constructing the project, had set up its camp on forest land without obtaining approval, the petitioners alleged before the NGT.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had had laid the foundation of the project December 8. The project estimated to cost Rs 241 crore was being executed under the Basudha Yojana at Sarumunha village in the Petachhela GP of Mahakalapara Assembly constituency.
The Panchayat Raj and Drinking Water Department had sponsored the project to provide water to 36 gram panchayats of Mahakalapara and Marshaghai blocks. The Rs 241 crore project would cater to the needs of 2.34 lakh people of 200 villages in the two blocks.
The source of water would be the Chitroptala and Luna rivers. The project has two zones.
In Zone-1, the intake well with a capacity of 9.23 MLD (million litres per day) will be set up near Talasanga for drawing water from the river, and it would be purified at the proposed water treatment plant at Manikunda.
In Zone -2, the intake well with a capacity of 16.24 MLD will be set up near Kunjakothi for drawing water from the river and it would be purified at the water treatment plant at Kalaghar.
PNN