Hirakud Dam Oustees demand fulfillment of Longstanding Demands

Bhubaneswar 29th Feb 2016: At a massive Rally today, hundreds of Hirakud Dam displaced families from Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Sundargarh, Bargarh and Sonepur under the Banner of Hirakud Budi Anchal Sangram Samiti (HBASS), protested at Lower PMG Square demanding fulfillment of their longstanding demands.

In its memorandum submitted to the Chief Minister, marking a copy to the Revenue Minister, Govt. of Odisha, HBASS has alleged that despite promises and subsequent orders and application for homestead land, the Government of Odisha has issued 10 decimal homestead land to displaced families Rengali and Jamimkera Tahasil of Sambalpur district and has failed to issue the same to displaced families of Jharsuguda and Sundargarh districts.

Sighting problems in the Office Order No.1734 of Dated 22.01.2014, the Outfit has asserted that since very few displaced families have the prescribed evidence of displacement like 4(1) notification and old Patta and many have lost them in course of time, recommendation of the concern PalliSabha and Gram Sabha should be taken into account for the identification of displaced families and eligibility to get 10 decimal of Homestead land Patta.

They have also demanded to expedite the survey and settlement of 34 un-surveyed villages lying above 632 R.L of the Hirakud Reservoir as per the decision taken in 2002 and in 2011. Gopinath Majhi, the General Secretary of the BASS said “Early payment of ex-gratia compensation @10.000 per acre should be made to displaced families of Jharsuguda, Sambalpur,Sundargarh districts as per the Office Resolution No.10930/R dated 11.03.1993.”Besides, they have demanded early payment to all 9913 Royats who have not paid compensation as per the Govt. of Odisha River Valley Development Department Letter No.27/RVD dated 06.01.1965 and letter No 4522 dated 04.07.1956. Necessary action should be taken for the payment of unpaid compensation to the 320 Jhankar, Chaukidar and Nariha families and 6693 Royat families at current market price of land, trees, wells etc.

The important Demands of the HBASS are:

(i) Issue Royat patta to those families who have not yet issued RoyatPatta against their D.C.Pattas and demarcate the land who have issued D.C.Pattas.

(ii) Necessary steps should immediately be taken to give proper compensation and employment benefits to the DC Permission Holders whose D.C Permission land has been acquired by MCL and OPGC, Banharpali and alternative land should be given to the rest 97 cases whose D.C Permission land has been in Possession of Govt. Institution and others.

(iii) Land lying between 630 to 632 RL should be given on annual lease according to the principles as laid down for the same in 1966. Otherwise  the status quo between 630 to 632 RL be maintained in the interest of law and order.

(iv) Strictly monitor the reservoir from pollution due to industrial effluents affecting fishing and livelihood of 11000 families who have settled themselves in the periphery of the Hirakud Dam during 1956-57.Besides, Basic facilities i.e. electricity, irrigation safe drinking water be provided to these villages.

Citing promises made by then Revenue Minister Surya Narayan Patro in a number of review meetings in 2011 and 2012, the Outfit have condemned the Govt. of Odisha for consistently failing to fulfil the long pending demands of the Budi Anchal Sangram Samiti. The important leaders of BASS like JogendraMajhi, Banikanta Singh, Dwarika Prasad Sa, PardeshiMirdha, SamarendraBagar and Dayasagar Kumar etc. addressed the rally.