The inhabitants of far-flung sea erosion-prone Satabhaya panchayat on Monday staged a fast unto death at the district collectorate demanding completion of the Satabhaya rehabilitation project and relocation of the distressed villagers.
The agitators alleged though almost three years have passed to the laying of foundation stone for the Biju Nagar rehabilitation colony meant for shifting 571 families of the sea erosion prone Satabhaya Gram Panchayat of Rajnagar, the new colony is yet to be completed and the villagers are yet to be shifted to safer area.
Except construction of a tube well and an unfinished Rajiv Gandhi Seva Kendra building and a primary school building, no other works have been started, rued the agitators.
During the foundation stone laying ceremony, the then district Collector had assured the villagers of Satabhaya that within a year, the district administration would resettle them.
let alone completing the colony work in total, even all the land required for it has not been acquired, the agitators rued.
On the contrary, the situation in Satabhaya is getting grimmer each passing day with the sea continuing to ravage the nearby settlements.
The villagers and their property are completely unsafe. The villagers said that as long as their legitimate demands are fulfilled, they would continue their stir. Meanwhile, on Monday evening, Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Umakanta Swain met the agitators and convinced them to withdraw their agitation, but the latter did not relent.