Kendrapara: As many as 40 families from the Satabhaya region in the Rajnagar block of the Kendrapara district staged a demonstration outside the district Collectorate Saturday, demanding relocation from their coastal village, which is under severe threat due to sea erosion.
The families alleged they were excluded from a previous relocation drive that moved 571 households to a rehabilitation colony at Bagapatia, approximately 12km away. They claimed their applications for relocation were submitted at the time but were overlooked by the district administration.
Dharanidhar Nayak, a resident of Satabhaya, said, “While 571 families were relocated to a resettlement site in Bagapatia in 2018, the 40 families which remained behind are now facing increasing danger as the sea continues to encroach land. “The sea, which was around 3km away three decades ago, is now just a few metres from our homes,” he said.
“The sea has swallowed our farmland. There’s a shortage of fodder for our cattle and feed for poultry, and the drinking water has turned saline,” Amita Malik, another villager, said, voicing fears over the destruction of both lives and livelihoods. “We will survive only if the administration helps us relocate immediately.” Another villager, Jiban Malik, said several revenue villages under the Satabhaya Panchayat—Gobindpur, Mohanpur, Chintamanipur, Badagahirmatha, Sanagahirmatha, Kharikul, and Kanhupur—have already been wiped out by the advancing sea.
“The sea has also gobbled up the nearby Panchubarahi temple and Barahipurpada village,” he added. “Cyclonic storms are now a constant threat. The sea is claiming more land rapidly. We urge the district administration to address the relocation issue with urgency,” Malik said. When contacted, Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Nilu Mahapatra confirmed the receipt of applications and said the administrative process to relocate the remaining families is currently underway.
PNN
