Jeypore: Even though the Telengiri Medium Irrigation Project inaugurated by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik February 5, spread cheer among farmers of Jeypore and Borigumma blocks, uncertainty loomed large over the villagers displaced by the project, a report said.
The project is expected to irrigate around 9,952 hectares of farmland in Jeypore and Borigumma blocks. The irrigation facility will help farmers cultivate paddy twice a year.
The irrigation project has completely submerged six villages in the three panchayats of Koraput and Jeypore blocks and has partially submerged one village.
The residents of another village which is near the project have been moved out as per their demand as their houses were getting swampy. Thus eight villages have been affected by the project.
Among the displaced, the residents of Kota village of Gadapadar panchayat in Jeypore block have been rehabilitated near Dubuli village on land provided by the government. These villagers have constructed houses on the land with the money they received as compensation.
The new settlement is now known as Kota Displaced Colony, and around 160 persons from 40 Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes stay here.
An Anganwadi has been opened here for 20 children of the colony, but it is not functioning as no staffer has been appointed.
As a result, the children are not getting food under government schemes. It is feared that the children might face malnutrition as no nutritious food is being provided to them under the Supplementary Nutrition Programme.
A community hall has come up in the colony and a primary school with Classes from I to V and two teachers is functioning from its premises. Around 15 students have been admitted to this school, but five to seven children do not attend school regularly.
The colony has a concrete road, streetlights and five tube-wells. However, what troubles the residents is lack of livelihood. Earlier, they used to grow paddy, ragi and vegetables on their farms and sell it.
But now they are struggling for work after their homes and farmlands were submerged by the irrigation project. They have received between Rs 3 lakh and Rs 7 lakh as compensation and they have used it for constructing houses. However, now they are afraid of the money running out.
Displaced villager Gobind Muduli said they were earlier happy living in their thatched houses and cultivating their land, but in the absence of livelihoods they are now concerned about the future.
Around 775 families from 595 Scheduled Tribes, 156 Scheduled Castes and 24 from the general category of eight villages were displaced by the irrigation project.
PNN
