Keonjhar: Thousands of villagers from Telkoi block of Keonjhar district took out a huge rally in this district headquarters town and staged a demonstration in front of the district Collectorate protesting the proposed Samakoi-Chakdar Irrigation Project. The protest organised by the Samakoi-Chakdar Project Coordination Committee was led by the outfit’s president Kailas Chandra Pradhan and co-ordinator Laxmidhar Pradhan. Thousands of Telkoi area residents marched to the district headquarters town located at about 60km distance and staged a rally holding placards and shouting slogans against the government.
Later, a protest meeting was held in front of the district Collectorate. Their agitation received a boost after leaders of various political parties including Congress and BJD joined them. The leaders strongly demanded the government stop its implementation saying that the project would not bring any benefit to people of Keonjhar district. “We cannot leave our birthland for the sake of an irrigation project from which only neighbouring Angul district will benefit,” they thundered. Implementation of the project has been hanging fire for the last 20 years after protests by the local residents. However, after the new state government announced financial support for the project in the state Budget-2024, people have expressed displeasure over the move. The residents have staged Telkoi bandh and road blockades on National Highway- 49 several times in the past, the leaders informed. The leaders said they would take to the streets in state capital Bhubaneswar and threatened to lay siege on the Governor’s office in the coming days if their demands is not met. They alleged that the project work is being expedited without conducting any Gram Sabha or Palli Sabha. They informed that the dam work is being spearheaded by giving wrong information that a 402-feet dam will be built to store water up to 390 feet depth in the reservoir. They warned that they are the descendants of great revolutionary Dharani Bhuyan who fought against the royal system for democracy and will never allow let it happen. They threatened that if required they will go for mass self-immolation.
Police registering cases against 60 persons among the protesters will never deter them in carrying out their protest, they said. They also challenged Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to carry on with the project work. This project is being built to appease the residents of Angul district, they alleged adding that previous governments of Congress and BJD stopped the project in the interest of the people. The leaders asked the CM to answer as to why his state government approved the anti-people project. Among others, former PCC presidents Niranjan Patnaik and Jaydev Jena, BJD Zilla Parishad member Ashish Chakraborty, PCC general secretary Aloy Mishra, secretary Sangram Das, leader Nirmal Nayak, former MLA Subarna Nayak and Dhanurjay Sidhu, senior leaders Krushna Chandra Mohanty, former MP Yashwant Laguri, engineer Binod Nayak and others addressed the gatherings.
Sources said the SamakoiChakdar irrigation project, when completed, will provide irrigation to 24,194 hectares of land in both Keonjhar and Angul districts. However, locals fear the submergence of their lands as the reservoir of the dam will be in Telkoi block. On the other hand, the people of Pallahara block of Angul district will benefit more from the project. This has been spreading discontent among the people of Telkoi block. The project was conceived about 20 years back but was put on ice due to protests. Keonjhar Sub-Collector Umashankar Dalei said, “We told the Water Resources department to prepare a report about the facts of the project including its social and other impacts. Villagers do not want any more projects. We have already intimated the government about the villagers’ demands and are waiting for a report about the project.”