Bolangir: Here is some good news for farmers in Bolangir! Hopes of resuming the work of the ambitious Lower Suktel Irrigation project has been rekindled again. Its construction work, which remained stalled for over two years now, is going to start soon.
According to a report, a high-level technical team recently visited the project site and signaled restart of work on the project from Friday.
The state government had sent this four-member high-powered committee to the area a couple of days ago.
The team comprising chief engineer of the Water Resources department Jyotiraj Rath, additional secretary of department Rajendra Pattnaik, OCC’s managing director Asim Kumar Mohaptra and chief engineer of the Subarnarekha Irrigation Project Prabhat Ranjan Rout held talks with the local MLA Narasingh Mishra and members of the different Action Committees.
The Chief Engineer hinted that construction work of the dam will start from Friday.
He also said that the state government has appointed a special officer to deal with problems of the displaced people.
Locals, the MLA and members of Bolangir Action Committee (BAC) demanded that with the start of the dam work, problems of the displaced people should be redressed on priority basis.
They stressed on the need of this irrigation project for a drought-prone district like Bolangir.
Some weeks ago, locals united under Bolangir Action Committee (BAC) had warned of agitation over the stalemate if the work on the project was not started within a month. A six-member delegation led by MLA Narasigh Mishra had submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister through Collector Arindam Dakua.
MLA Narasingh Mishra, president of the BAC Gopalji Mishra, president of the Nagarika Committee Bikramananda Bohidar, president of the district Bar Association Pramod Kumar Tripathy, lawyer Bhawani Shankar Satpathy and Ratan Kumar Moharana held discussions with the Collector over the status of the project and the bottlenecks that are hampering the work of the irrigation project.
They had demanded that the administration appoint a regular land acquisition officer and other staff in addition to pay appropriate compensation of the displaced people and others affected by the project.
“For a long time, RPDAC did not hold any meeting. As a result, the problems of the displaced villagers were not taken up for discussion. The displaced people should get what they deserve and the RPDAC meeting should be called immediately,” said Mishra.
Mishra also said that he would hold talks with the Speaker, the minister of the Water Resources department and the department secretary during his stay in Bhubaneswar so as to ensure resumption of work within a month.
The BAC is spearheading a movement in support of the dam project. Members of the BAC had visited Paradhiapali and conducted a meeting with the villagers who were up in arms against the project.
The construction work of the project was stopped due to stiff opposition from villagers around seven months back.
Paradhiapali village is the epicentre of the agitation against the project. Its residents are seeking one-time compensation as per Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation Act, 2013. They also demand that their family members, who are 18 years of age, be included for compensation.
Worried over stoppage of project work, the BAC had earlier urged the district administration to end the impasse with the agitating villagers.
BAC leader Gopalji Panigrahi urged the villagers of Paradhiapali to cooperate with the administration in carrying out the project work.
It may be noted here that the state government has already spent over Rs1,000 crore for the project. At the meeting, the villagers raised their concerns over the proposed dam and pressed their old demands.
Once commissioned, the project will irrigate 29,146 hectares in Balangir district and 2,684 hectares in Sonepur, covering 189 villages.
Due to frequent conflicts between pro and anti-dam activists, the work on the project has been disrupted several times in the last 12 years.
PNN