SUKTEL SPILLWAY WORK STARTS AS 70 VILLAGERS ARRESTED
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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