Post News Network
Telkoi, Dec 23: Displaced by the Dandadhar dam in 1980, scores of families of Kaliahata area at the Telkoi region in Keonjhar district are yet to be rehabilitated. They are forced to live the lives of nomads. Work of the Dandadhar dam was undertaken in 1980 on the lower stream of Riamal river. 168 families residing in Kaliahata, Rekuti, Nuagan, Gobaragoda, Balabhadrapur and Purijoda areas were displaced.
They had lost their homes and farmland. Some of the project-affected people were provided Rs 1.68 lakh as compensation. The government had then conducted a survey to identify the affected people, but 82 people, in spite of having lost their home and farmland, were left out. They have been undergoing a lot of hardships since. “We neither did get compensated nor got rehabilitated,” rued Tikili Bewa, a project-affected woman.
She also alleged that the displaced families had time and again drawn the attention of the local MLA and other peoples’ representatives, but no steps were initiated to alleviate their sufferings. Bewa stated that the families, bereft of their land and occupation, were now leading a nomadic life while many had to manage their families by fishing. She said that if the authorities had properly surveyed the affected people, such deprivation would not have happened.
Among the displaced and deprived families are Sadhupatra, Mukuli Nayak, Bhalgu Mohant, Daini Jena of Kaliahata; Ramchandra Dwivedy and several other people of Rekuti village.
As the irrigation project is in the jurisdiction of Angul district, the authorities there have, meanwhile, assured the displaced families of all help. Local zilla parishad member Pitabash Dalei said that as these families had been left out of the survey they have to suffer a lot.
A detailed report regarding this problem has been submitted to the district administration. Block chairperson Bagun Champia said the collector had been approached to provide assistance to all the project-affected people.