Joda: Several local outfits Monday opposed the ongoing dam construction by Tata Steel over river Suna near Khandabandha under Bhuyanroida panchayat here in Keonjhar district.
Members of Mahanadi Banchao Andolan Manch, Agami Odisha and Barbil Civil Society reached the construction site and took stock of the situation.
After discovering an intake well and a water conservation system constructed by the company on the riverbed, the activists were of the opinion this is no less harmful than the Chhattisgarh government which has put up barrages in the upper catches of Mahanadi to stop the flow of water into the state.
Speaking to the media, Sundarshan Dash, convener of Mahanadi Banchao Andolan and Agamai Odisha said Suna is known as the lifeline of Joda and it is illegal to collect water from the river without government approval and gram sabha consent.
If the company has obtained the permission from the government keeping the locals in dark then it has been done in a fraudulent manner, Dash added.
Others who visited the spot included joint convener Basudev Bhatta, Barbil Civil Society convener Ashok Thakkar and Debakanta Dash, Bhimsen Jena and Rasananda Behera.
They demanded withdrawal of cases against seven villagers whose were implicated in arson cases and reinstatement of some employees who were dismissed from jobs by the company for their alleged involvement in the cases.
The activists would take up the issue with the Collector and the minister of the department concerned. Then, they would submit a memorandum to Tata Steel’s Bhubaneswar office. They would gherao the company’s office if they fail to get a satisfactory response from the authorities in seven days.
The outfits would also create awareness on the issue among the people living on the basin of rivers Suna and Karo, it was learnt.
The protesters argued that more than 50,000 people living in the lower catches would be affected if the proposed dam is completed. This apart, Kanpur dam over river Baitarani, one of the biggest irrigation projects of the state, would be hit by the proposed dam since Suna water flows into Baitarani.
The dam project is all set to fail a mammoth welfare project undertaken by the government, the activists pointed out.
PNN
