Bhubaneswar: Union Education and Skill Development Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has demanded compensation and permanent land patta to the people displaced by the Rengali River Dam Project.
In a letter to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Pradhan stated the compensation amount announced earlier by the State Government should be paid to the displaced people at the earliest. Pradhan further urged the CM to accord their villages the status of revenue village.
The Union Minister said the Rengali Dam Project which is built on the Brahmani river in 1980 is the second largest river embankment project in Odisha. Though, the project strengthened the irrigation and power generation, it has also increased local people’s agony.
Even after four decades, the plight of displaced people still haunts us, he stated.
Between 1978 and 1984, about 13,000 families in 236 revenue villages became homeless due to the Rengali dam project. In absence of proper accommodation and compensation, thousands of such families are still living in penury. Amid several protests, strikes, Â agitation and dharna, their plight is still unending today.
In last September, 2010, as per the instructions of the Chief Minister, the amount of compensation was estimated at around Rs 152 crore, Pradhan mentioned.
It is matter of regret, the affected families are yet to get compensation and rehabilitation packages.
In this context, Pradhan has sought the intervention of the Chief Minister to grant permanent patta to the displaced families and accord status of revenue villages. Pradhan said he is hopeful of a timely action in such a sensitive issue.
