Kendrapara: Satabhaya, the village hit by sea erosion in Kendrapara district will soon become a deserted place with the district administration deciding to shift the remaining 118 families to Bagapatia rehabilitation colony, a report said.
The area faces erosion due to rising tides for which the residents have been demanding relocation elsewhere since the last five decades.
The 17-km stretch of the beach at Satabhaya under Rajnagar block is claimed to be the fastest-eroding beach on the Odisha coast. The district administration in a preparatory meeting decided to shift the rest of the 118 families.
Bagapatia is about 12-km away from Satabhaya. Earlier there were demands for creating a mangrove forest in Satabhaya to protect the area from erosion by the sea and build up nature camps to promote tourism.
Jagabandhu Das of Satabhaya welcoming decision said it has given him a new lease of life. In the past 40 years, the sea has devoured more than 1,000 homes and large tracts of agricultural lands in the locality sparking serious concern among the residents of Satabhaya.
But, due to constant erosion only a small portion of it remains with Gobindapur, Mohanpur, Kanhupur, Chintamanipur, Badagahiramatha and Kharikula villages vanishing from the map.
Now, the sea has come closer. It is almost at the footsteps of the Maa Panchubarahi’s old temple. The administration has stopped all developmental works in Satabhaya after it was decided to relocate the residents to Bagapatia rehabilitation colony in 2017.
The area now lacks basic needs like power, road and drinking water. The schools have been closed down in the area. Initially, the district administration rehabilitated 571 families in Bagapatia barring 148 families.
The left out families submitted applications several times and drew the attention of the administration for their shifting. The district administration soon identified the 118 families for shifting which has relieved them of the fear of tidal waves devouring them and their houses, Das said.
However, all are not lucky like Das. Bijaya Levka a local woman said that the identification exercise of the administration is not free from error. She was married to Bijay of Kanhupur mouza but has got separated due to differences among them.
Meanwhile, her estranged husband Bijay has been living at Bagaptia after being allotted a land. However, she is yet to get a land at Bagapatia due to lack of proper documents. She is entitled to 10 decimal of land and a house building assistance.
Many of the left out families have shifted on their own to nearby areas and living in houses built by them on the government land. Sudarshan Das, another villager demanded a patch of farmland to earn their livelihood as it would be difficult for them to manage their families in the absence of a proper income.
Environmentalist Hemant Kumar Rout said that administration should plant mangrove forests in Satabhaya to check coastal erosion and use it for promoting eco-tourism.
When contacted, ADM Basant Kumar Rout said that 118 families will be provided with all help while a review has been undertaken to find out the actual reason behind rapid coastal erosion.
PNN