Bolangir: Uncertainty looms over the Lower Suktel irrigation project in this district with dam work making no headway in the last eight months.
Speculations are rife that the project which is touted as the lifeline of Bolangir district might get dropped.
The matter came out after Leader of Opposition and Bolangir MLA Narasingha Mishra raised his concern over the delay in implementing the project at a press meet held here Sunday. He feared that the project might get dropped which he termed as a conspiracy of the government.
He said the 2013 Land Acquisition Act has not been implemented at the project site which the project oustees have been demanding for their rehabilitation and compensation payouts. They have threatened not to allow work on the dam if their demand is not accepted.
Dam supporters who are facing displacement claimed that the project meets all criteria for implementation of the 2013 Land Acquisition Act and that dam works are getting delayed only due to the mistakes committed by the government and the district administration.
Trying to break the impasse the government has tried to lure the project affected people with ex-gratia, compensation and rehabilitation in vain. The people have rejected the offer saying ex-gratia is another lollipop. They are now insisting payment of compensation and rehabilitation as per the 2013 Act.
The government claims that land has been acquired in 15 of the 29 identified villages. However, it has failed to remove even a single villager from any of the 15 villages. It has also failed to acquire an inch of land in the remaining 14 identified villages where villagers are opposing the project.
The old Land Acquisition Act has become invalid after the enforcement of the 2013 Land Acquisition Act. The people are demanding that the government should start afresh and implement the 2013 Act at the project site.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik laid the foundation stone for the project which had an outlay of Rs 217.13 crore in 2001.
However, due to various reasons the project got delayed and has been in the doldrums for the last 18 years. As a result the project outlay has escalated manifold.
The government decided to give a push to the project and sanctioned a revised outlay of Rs 1041.81 crore in 2009. But despite the revision the project has failed to make headway.
Later, the outlay was revised again to Rs 2,448.09 crore for the second time in 2015. However, that also failed to propel the project. Observers said the project cost has to be revised again if the government wants to execute the project. They say the project cost might exceed Rs 3,000 crore now.
PNN