Tuesday, April 9, 2013

SUKTEL SPILLWAY WORK STARTS AS 70 VILLAGERS ARRESTED


SUKTEL SPILLWAY WORK STARTS AS 70 VILLAGERS ARRESTED
Wednesday, 10 April 2013 | SUDHIR MISHRA | BALANGIR | in Bhubaneswar


In a significant development in the history of Balangir and the Lower Suktel Irrigation Project which was in limbo for last 12 years, the State-run Odisha Construction Corporation (OCC) began the construction work of the spillway of the project at Pardhiapali on Tuesday after the police arrested over 70 villagers belonging to the Lower Suktel Budi Anchal Sangram Parishad who were protesting the construction work.
Later, 69 arrested persons were forwarded to court at Balangir while three juveniles were released on bail by the police.“The Chief Secretary had assured us that whatever development would take place, it would be intimated to people. And all of a sudden, the work has been started. As this would result in loss of our livelihoods, we are staging dharna here,” said Pabitra Gadtya of the Parishad.
Balangir Sub-Divisional Police Officer Narayan Naik and Sub-Collector Jyoti Ranjan Pradhan in the presence of a magistrate and the police said, “We have been instructed by the Government to start project work and we requested the villagers to vacate the place so that the project work would be undertaken.”
As the villagers did not budge from the spot, the police arrested 70 of them including Parishad president Ghunu Sahu and other leaders Udaya Singh Thakur and Pabitra Gadtya.
Sahu said, “Residents of 15 villages came to stage the protest. We have given suggestion the Government to go in for small projects which would cause zero displacement.”
The spillway work started formally with JCB machines digging earth. “We expect to complete the spillway work in three years,” said BK Sahu of the OCC.
District Collector Debraj Mishra said, “The situation is peaceful. We got orders from higher officials to carry out the project work. Some people who were opposing the project were taken into preventive
custody.”

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