The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has warned coercive action against the district Collector of Nuapada over failure to submit a reply to the petition alleging human rights violation while executing the Lower Indra Project.
Supreme Court lawyer and rights activist Radhakanta Tripathy in his petition before the NHRC had alleged that about 10,000 families residing in Nuapada and Balangir districts have been displaced in the project and are suffering due to negligence of State Government.
Earlier, the NHRC had sought an ATR from the district Collectors of Nuapada and Balangir in the matter.
In response, though the Balangir district administration had stated that the matter falls in the jurisdiction Nuapada district, however, no response has been received from Nuapada administration in the matter.
Consequently, the NHRC issued a final reminder to the district Collector, Nuapada for the submission of requisite report in the matter within four weeks, failing which coercive process u/s 13 of the PHRA may be initiated against him.
Pointing out the fact that the project was started in 2000 with the active support and cooperation of the affected people, Tripathy mentioned they were assured of land against land as compensation. Land amounting to 1,368 acres was also identified in three different tehsils of Nuapada and Balangir districts.
But these lands located in different 15 villages were encroached lands which could not be made free by the respective Tehsildars.
The affected families who are now more than 10,000 (it was only 1,460 at the beginning) have started opposing the construction after 12 years.
The other allegation raised by Tripathy are related to corruption, misappropriation and mismanagement.
The schools and Anganwadi centres in most of the villages have been closed although the people have not yet been evacuated.
Children have become dropouts due to faulty execution of the project.
There is also a misinformation about the extent of area to be irrigated.
The project authority claims that the project will create irrigation facility for 29,900 hectares, including 13,500 hectares in Nuapada district and 16,400 hectares in Balangir district.
Issues of fraudulent transactions in payment of rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) assistance to fake project-affected persons (PAPs) of the Lower Indra Irrigation Project (LIIP) in Nuapaada district have cropped up .
Complaints in this regard have been made to the Principal Secretary, Department of Water Resources (DoWR), however, concrete and complete action are still awaited.
There are many such instances, which can be traced through due investigation, Tripathy mentioned.