Bhubaneswar: Villagers at the Chaumukh in the Balasore district are baffled with the commencement of the alleged foundation works to pave way for the Subarnarekha minor port along the Subarnarekha river. Many, if not all, are opposed to the construction of the port at the site.
The villagers now allege that felling of trees alongside their village road and construction of a concrete road connecting their village to the Bhubaneswar-Balasore National Highway is going on in full swing. According to speculations, from next month the works are likely to increase multi-fold due to commencement of works for the port.
The village is located in a picturesque location where it has been surrounded by the river on one side, river mouth at the centre and the Bay of Bengal on the right. Many of the villagers are involved in cultivation, beetle vine farming and fishing. For many, especially fishermen, the livelihood in the region will soon be affected.
“Many of the villagers are living off the income earned from fishing, processing of fish products, shell processing and others work. We are totally dependent on the sea and the river for our daily works and they are our only sources of livelihood. The project is set to threaten it,” said Subhash Giri, a fisherman from the village.
A visit by this correspondent revealed felling of trees along the village roads leading to the port site and construction of concrete roads and small over-bridges to connect the village with the highway. Many said that farmers, dependent on agriculture, are also likely to get affected with this.
“Most of the villagers are against the project. Farmers are worried that their agricultural lands will be taken over for port activities while there are also chances of displacement of villages for the project. It is most likely that due to regular ferrying of truck loads of industrial produce the pollution levels in the area will aggravate,” said Subhash Choudhary, a retired school teacher from the area.
He also added that a large part of the area has already been taken over due to massive soil erosion from the river. He claimed that many villagers lost their homestead land in the process and the port in the area will add to their woes.
The port officials, meanwhile, claim that majority of the villagers are in support of the project while the district administration claim that the project will be undertaken by keeping the interests of the affected persons in mind and providing adequate compensations, as per legal provisions, wherever needed.
