Believe it or not, nearly 34 villages close to Hirakud reservoir in Sambalpur and Jharsuguda districts are unable to get many Government benefits. They are not even getting the most needed farmer identity card (I-Card) as the places they are residing since the last 56 years are yet to get revenue village status due to the negligence of the Revenue and Water Resources departments, alleged members of the Budi Anchal Sangarm Samity (BASS), an outfit of the villagers living close by the dam.
After completion of the dam in 1956, some villagers of the submerged areas preferred to stay in the areas close to the reservoir. Reason: the dam height was restricted to 630 feet instead of the original planning of 632 feet. Hence, a good number of people stayed in the area near the reservoir as these areas were not submerged due to decrease in the maximum water level of the dam in the final phase. Total 34 villages in such areas are of the dam reservoir. But to their bad luck, these villages are yet to be treated as the revenue villages.
lots of efforts have been made earlier to convert these areas to revenue villages. But differences in opinion between the revenue and water resources (erstwhile irrigation) departments comes in the way, sources said. “Even the files for this purpose are missing in different levels,” sources added.From tehsils to the State Secretariat, these files are missing and hardly any interest is shown to trace them out or even begin the process afresh, alleged the BASS members.
At the RDC level, meetings are also held at regular intervals to solve the problems of the Hirakud land oustees. At the same time, decisions are made to pay compensation to the genuine persons, but to no effect.Permanent DC Patta and revenue village status to the left out villages also come under the discussion but the process is so cumbersome that the expected result is yet to be achieved. When contacted, RDC (ND) Dr Pramod Kumar Meherda assured, “I am equally worried for the Hirakud land oustees and their manifold problems. However, we are trying to find a solution to their problems very soon.”