The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has warned to take coercive action against the Chief Secretary of Odisha for lethargic and lackadaisical attitude while issuing a final reminder to submit comprehensive report in addressing the prolonged plight of the displaced people of Indravati hydro electric project, affecting more than five districts of Odisha.
Rights activist and Supreme Court lawyer Radhakanta Tripathy in his petition before the NHRC had urged the commission to take up the matter with the Chief Secretary of the State for unreasonable delay to comply with the recommendations of the Special Rapporteurs with regard to the project covering Kalahandi and Nabrangpur districts and to send a team of officials to investigate the area of the project including Korput, Malkangiri and Rayagada districts related to the Indravati project.
Tripathy pointed out that the then Special Rapporteur Damodar Sarangi had made 32 recommendations to be complied with by the Government and mentioned in his report that the project has affected many more villages in Kalahandi,
Nabrangpur and Koraput districts and displaced persons have been shifted to more than 500 resettlement clusters spread over Kalahandi, Nabrangpur,Korput, Malkangiri and Rayagada. He had suggested for further inquiry of the matter to address the anomalies.
Pursuant to the directions of the Commission, the State Government had submitted reports at different points of time for eyewash.However, this time the NHRC expressed its anguish noticing this attitude of departments of Home and Energy of the Government of Odisha.
Earlier a report dated 31.1.2018 submitted by Department of Home, Government of Odisha along with an inquiry report of the Revenue Divisional Commissioner, Southern Division, stated that “Despite several initiatives taken by various Government departments across different sectors, there is no denying the fact that certain issues do remain unresolved.
Top among the concerns is the issue of unhindered transport and communication within the GPs and with other areas, including the block headquarters Dasmantpur and Koraput district headquarters.
The report further stated that effective provision of medical and educational services (primary school) and child-care facilities (AWC-ICDS) in the GPs affected by disjointed location of habitations, further separated by the reservoir, requires a serious rationalization exercise at the district level and, wherever required, departmental intervention would also be in order. A relook into the present practice of tagging hamlets to main centers located on the other side of the water is imperative. This needs to be done in such a manner that no individual could have to cross over to avail the most basic of services.
Also, a workable decentralization of services by means of extending physical healthcare and academic infrastructure to far-off or separated locations would have to be done in the near future.
The Commission expressed its displeasure over manner reports are being forwarded without any tangible developments on ground and without taking due caution and care while submitting same to Commission.