Time and again, the district administration has been reminded of rehabilitating the displaced Dalit families of Bilana Jena Sahi, a small hamlet consisting of all landless Dalits but in vain.
Noted rights activist Radhakanta Tripathy has been trying for the same for about a decade and the district administration of Bhadrak replies it is aware and acting on the issue of displacement in Salandi Sanskar Project. As many as 87 families on private land and 22 families on Government land have been rehabilitated in the first phase. In the second phase 52 families are going to be rehabilitated. Regarding more than 50 landless Dalit families of Bilana Jena Sahi, the Executive Engineer of Irrigation Division has requested the Tehsildar of Tihidi to provide them alternate land. The Executive Engineer has also been requested to take steps to make strong embankment dams on both sides of the rivers.
However, none could be allotted any piece of land till date.
The reply of the district administration was given to the Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) acting on a petition filed by Tripathy.
Though the district administration of Bhadrak has identified only 22 families who have been residing in their houses on the Government plots four years back, they are not rehabilitated as per government norms.
Most importantly, 20 BPl Dalit families of Bilana Jena Sahi have not been allocated alternate plots to be rehabilitated. Their rehabilitation with alternate plots and Indira AwasYojana and other welfare schemes is utmost important, Tripathy contended.
In the meantime two beneficiaries also have died before realising the light of justice. The pressure of inflation along with the non-release of rehabilitation amount in time has made the lives of families to be rehabilitated miserable, he pointed out.
Tripathy has also protested before the district administration, besides filing cases before the human rights panel and requested the authorities to act on war footing to initiate second phase rehabilitation at the earliest and complete the process within one year. The petitioner also sought a direction to provide alternate plots and the benefits of welfare schemes to the BPl-Dalit families of Bilana Jena Sahi.