The people of Ganjam in general and the farmers in particular have reasons to cheer as the proposed construction of a barrage on river Rushikulya will turn 32 villages near Kansariganda as a vegetable production hub.
The project has the potential to irrigate huge lands on both sides, besides recharging ground water potential.
Notably, the Odisha Government has recently approved a proposal for construction of a storage at Kansariganda/Pottlampur Ganda at an estimated cost of Rs 149.60 crore.
With this, a long standing demand of farmers of Potlampur, Badamadhapur and Poirasi Gram Panchayats of Ganjam and Chhatrapur blocks for construction of a low height water has finally become a reality.
The locals have thanked CM Naveen Patnaik for his bold and visionary decision in approving the “Rushikulya River Embarkment Scheme” in an area extending two km downstream near Rushikulya and Khara Khari river confluence point.
It may be recalled here that, following dryness of the river course and ground water degradation in the area due to collection of 60,000 million liters of water per day from three deep wells constructed on the river side between Badamadhapur and Potlampur GPs since 1986, the farmers of Potlampur led a historic movement and filed a PIL in the Supreme Court jointly under the leadership of the late Padmanava Sahu, former Sarpanch of Potlampur and former Deputy Speaker Rama Chandra Panda to which the then Chief Minister Biju Patnaik had supported. Panda, as State Planning Board Member, just three years back had also proposed the necessity of such a check-dam on the river course enlarging the natural Ganda to sustain the deep RWSS wells in order to provide drinking water to hundreds of villages under Ganjam block as well as Brahmagiri block of Puri which was initially ignored, but now finally has been approved.
Sarpanch, Potlampur, Niranjan Swain , Sarpanch, Poirasi, Ravindra Behera and former Samiti Member UDSpur GP Shatrughana Mahankuda have expressed their gratitude to the CM for sanctioning the project and conveyed their heartfelt gratefulness to Panda for his four-decade long sustained campaign.
It is worth noting that in June, Panda in another letter addressed to the Water Resources Department also suggested for raising and proper cementing of the embankments on both sides of river Rushikulya on its downstream to an area of three km to prevent intrusion of backwater of the barrage into riverside villages on the downstream.