The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has asked for a report from the Odisha Chief Secretary on action taken to pay compensation to the Hirakud Dam land oustees. It has further directed to submit the report before March 5.

Notably, 27,000 families had got displaced due to the construction of the multipurpose dam project at Hirakud in the fifties, almost seven decades back. But there are many people and families who are yet to get the compensation amount.

Considering a petition of one of the land oustees Sailabala Pradhan of Brajarajnagar in Jharsuguda district, the commission has asked Chief Secretary SC Mohapatra to submit the ‘action taken report’, since all these people have sacrificed for a common cause.

“Although, the land oustees got shifted from their homes and arable lands, but they were not suitably rehabilitated and compensated. They got scattered to different places of undivided Sambalpur, Balangir, Kalahandi and Sundargarh districts and also a few to Chhattisgarh (erstwhile MP). But State Government has no record of them as on today for which the NHRC has expressed concern,” informed petitioner Pradhan.  

In the year 2002, the State Government, vide letter no 5533, had directed the Collectors of Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Subarnapur, Balangir and Sundargarh to identify the land oustees and give them 10 decimal of homestead land each. Works began on full swing to identify the left out persons and pay them their dues including land for home. But few months later it also slowed down again.

As per the latest report only 2,000 families out of the 27,000 have got homestead land and the rest are deprived of the benefit. The land oustees further alleged that the elected representatives hardly take any interest and action to the grievance of the people and hence they are remaining unheard for decades together.

“But after direction from the NHRC we are hopeful that we will get justice even if it is late,” Pradhan said.