Post News Network
Kendrapara, Dec 18: The construction work for the rehabilitation of people of Satabhaya affected by sea erosion was stopped at the project site at Bagapatia due to strong protests by the local people.
The district administration was forced to stop the work following protests by the locals who said they have been staying at Bagapatia for more than seven decades after obtaining permanent records of rights (patta) from Kanika tehsil.
They urged the district administration to cancel the land acquisition process for constructing the Biju Nagar Resettlement colony to rehabilitate the Satabhaya residents. The locals had staged a dharna at Bagapatia project site Tuesday in support of their demands. 
The villagers of Bagapatia last Thursday had destroyed some of the concrete pillars put up by the administration for demarcating the boundary of the acquired government land. The administration had started the process by converting the 48.50 acre of private land to habitable government land to construct the resettlement colony. As many as 571 families of sea erosion-prone Satabhaya woud be shifted to the rehabilitation colony, which is going to be constructed over a land of 132.97 acre including 48.50 acre of acquired land at Bagapatia.
The administration acquired 48.50 acre by giving compensation to land-losers whereas a few persons abstained from collecting their compensation amount, for which, civil deposits were made against their names in this regard. The settlement process was made as Satabhaya people participated in land demarcation process of the district administration and identified 10 decimal of land each for resettlement with their families.
Since last November, the draft publication work has been going on for the said project, informed official sources. Meanwhile, some villagers alleged that though they have purchased the land from private persons several years back, the compensation amount has been provided to those persons, who already sold the land to them whereas the persons, who were in the possession of land, failed to get compensation. The administration is going to conduct a detailed survey soon to cross check the pattas possessed by villagers.
