Kendrapara: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has warned the Nuapada Collector of action for failure to reply to a petition on human rights violations while executing the Lower Indra Project.
The NHRC was moved by rights Activist Radhakanta Tripathy. He alleged that around 10,000 families staying in Nuapada and Bolangir districts of Odisha were displaced due to the negligence of the state government.
Earlier, the NHRC had sought an ATR from the District Magistrates of Nuapada and Bolangir on the matter.
In response, the Bolangir district administration stated that the matter falls within the jurisdiction of Nuapada district.
The NHRC issued a final reminder to the District Magistrate of Nuapada to submit the report within four weeks, failing which action as per Section 13 of the PHRA will be initiated.
Pointing out that the project was launched in 2000 with the cooperation of the affected people, Tripathy said they were assured of land as compensation.
Land measuring 1,368 acres was identified in three tehsils of Nuapada and Bolangir districts. But these lands located in 15 different villages were encroached lands and could not be freed by the tehsildars.
The affected families who are now around 10,000 (it was only 1,460 at the beginning) have started opposing the project after 12 years.
The other charges raised by Tripathy are regarding corruption, misappropriation and mismanagement.
Schools and Anganwadis were closed in most of the villages although people have not been evacuated. Children have turned dropouts due to faulty execution of the project, he said.
There are doubts about the area to be irrigated. The project authority claims the project will irrigate 29,900 hectares – 13,500 hectares in Nuapada and 16,400 hectares in Bolangir.
He said fraudulent transactions paying rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) assistance to fake project-affected persons (PAPs) in Nuapada were detected.
Complaints regarding this were made to the Principal Secretary, Department of Water Resources, but no action was taken, the petitioner allleged.
There are many such examples, which can be exposed if an investigation is done, he pointed out.
Thirteen persons, including three government officials, were jailed in 2013 for fraudulent transactions. Pointing out that the officials and their agents have not learnt anything from this, he said the authorities should initiate action against the culprits.
PNN