Keonjhar Collector Dr N Tirmalla Naik held a meeting with the core committee group members of the affected people of the Kanpur Irrigation Project at the Champua Sub-Collector office on March 23 in the presence of Sub-Collector SK Mishra, Chief Engineer, Project, Dhaneswar Saha and other Government officers.
They discussed a 17-point charter of demands of the affected people, who have stopped the ongoing construction work project over Baitarani River since March 17.
After hearing the complaints, the Collector ordered the officers to take steps on priority basis to improve the health, education and training programme of the affected area so that people would not face any problem till complete displacement of the affected area. He also assured the villagers to visit villages on regular basis to know the ground reality.
Regarding the hike in the payment of the compensation and other related issues, he told that the matter would be decided in the next meeting in the presence of the Relief and Rehabilitation Director on April 18.
It was decided in the meeting to postpone the agitation till April 19. While one group supported to stop the agitation, the other group led by Pramod Kumar Mahanta and others vehemently opposed the proposal.