Bhawanipatna: Even as 39 years have passed since Indravati project came up, the plight of the displaced people is yet to go. These people have still been reeling from lack of basic facilities.
There has been no remarkable development in all sectors including health, education and road. The tribals alleged that they had been shown colourful pictures of their children going to schools, people getting proper health facilities and local men and women getting employment in the locality by the state goverment, but all in vain.
There were 6,133 families from 72 revenue village of Kalahndi, Nabarangpur and Koraput districts who were displaced. The condition is same for both who stay in their native places and those who were rehabilitated by the government. The latter are from villages like Maligaon, Talinaga, Padepadar, Gopinathpur and Jayapatna.
However, there were inhabitants who opposed the project and refused to part with their ancestral properties for anything in the world. Instead, they took refuge in law, and the fight is still on. The living condition of these people has gone from bad to worse, and as they say, the plight of their next generation will be even much worse.
The villagers alleged the project had brought misfortunes and misery for them.
The displaced villagers stay in villages like Pandi, Chandapur, Bhalujor, Sastuguda, Dhanasuli, Junapali, Ghenupada, Chikra and Ranibahal. But all these villages are waterlogged and there is no road communication.
Health facility is a dream for these people. In case of urgency, patients are taken to Khatiguda community health center (CHC) in Nabarangpur district in fishing boats. There are cases when patients died on their way to hospital.
The less talked about their education facility the better. About 99% of children in the villages have not seen the door of a school. However, they are blessed with an Anganwadi center. The Anganwadi worker comes to the village once in a blue moon as she finds it difficult to come to this village in a boat every day. The Anganwadi center is also left half constructed.
The administration has not arranged drinking water for the residents who are bound to take contaminated water.
There are no government schemes like MGNREGA. To feed their families, people cultivate maize, millets, among other food grains. In tough time, they resort to uncommon food like mango kernel.
There are no communication facilities provided to villages as a result of which villagers are bound to use boat communication. They urged the state government and the district administration to consider their problems and take steps on these issues to end their suffering.