Joda: Problems related to rehabilitation and resettlement of project-affected people of Kanpur mega irrigation project continue to remain unresolved with the administration evicting one village after another in Keonjhar. The displaced people have taken up the issue with the National Commission for Scheduled Tribe, seeking justice, a report said.
The National Commission for Scheduled Tribe (NCST) has become active on the issue. As most of the project affected villages are tribals, a five-member delegation of the oustees led by member of the NCST Anant Nayak visited the project site in Basudevpur under Joda block Thursday.
The delegation first visited Murusuan and Chamakpur and took stock of the rehabilitation activities by the state government for the oustees.
Four families of Murusuan have moved the court seeking rehabilitation along with a provision of farmlands. The court had also ordered the administration to evict the families only after their rehabilitation and provision of farmlands.
However, it was alleged that the court order has not been carried out. The houses of these oustees have been pulled down to make space for project work.
Members of these four families had appealed to the NCST about their plight. The NCST member visited the village to look into the matter.
Nayak saw as houses of the four families have been demolished, they have been living under open sky for some months. One of the family members was a pregnant woman.
The delegation expressed its displeasure over the miserable condition these evicted families are living in.
They live under polythene sheets. Women after delivery live in a deplorable condition along with her newborn.
The team also visited Dhubulabeda rehabilitation colony. The team members saw that construction work of the colony has not been completed while villages have not been provided land pattas for their homestead land.
The colony has not been made habitable for the oustees while basic infrastructure like road connectivity, drinking water, school building, club house, Anganwadi centre, a place of worship, and cremation ground have not been made.
The administration has identified the colony for rehabilitation of people displaced from Bikikala, Dadhuan and Gobindapur. It was said that as basic facilities have not been put in place at the colony, people are not keen to set up their houses.
Meanwhile, the administration told people of the three villages that police will carry out the eviction drive.
Project affected people alleged before the team that the Collector has been given a report about completion of all construction works at the colony in 2019, but in reality many works have been left incomplete.
Nayak later held a meeting with officials of the irrigation project and local people and sought to know about the steps taken for their livelihood, economic and cultural development of the oustees.
PNN