Bolangir: The last family opposing the Lower Suktel project has finally left Pardhiapali village Wednesday, sources informed here Friday. The relocation took place after the first rainwater from the Suktel River entered the Lower Suktel dam. The family of Gyana Gadatya had been staying at their native place, Pardhiapali village for over four decades. They had been opposing the move to displace them and relocate elsewhere.
However, the district administration finally persuaded them to do so as the Pardhiapali village is located at the bottom of the dam. The village will submerge once the dam becomes fully operational, sources said. They added that Gyana after leaving his native village has moved to this town. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik laid the foundation stone for the Lower Suktel Irrigation Project, November 24, 2001 while Bolangir MLA Narasingha Mishra did the same for the spillway of the project, May 11, 2005.
Initially, the project faced severe hindrances from the local residents of nearby villages including Pardhiapali. Now, however, the project is speedily nearing completion due to the efforts of District Collector Chanchal Rana. He has played an influential role in the rehabilitation of the displaced people. Many residents of Pardhiapali have now settled down at the ‘Displaced Colony’ in this town while others have sought their fortunes in other parts of the state. Gyana however, was opposing the project since the start and had refused to relocate. He had also refused the compensation amount offered by the Odisha government.
However, he finally relented due to the efforts of Rana and Mishra. The two visited the residence of Gyana and persuaded the latter to change his decision. Gyana’s son Pabitra lamented over the relocation. “Leaving one’s native village permanently is a pain that cannot be expressed. We are leaving all that we had built up so painstakingly. I hope that the government compensates us in a proper manner,” Pabitra said. Before Gyana, family members of two sisters, Sumitra Sahu and Subhadra Sahu had left the village. Even though they had relocated earlier, they had not given up possession of their houses and used to visit Pardhiapali regularly. Now Pardhiapali has a haunted look with not a single resident living there. This development is certainly a huge success for the district administration.
Officials will now use the same method to relocate and rehabilitate people from other villages affected by various projects in the state. The resident of Pardhiapali had been opposing the project from the start and refusing to relocate. The project got a boost after many people agreed to relocate in 2013.
However, the actual rehabilitation started in 2021. Many people relocated to this town and started living in the ‘Displaced Colony’ built for them.
