The Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) has ordered the Central Division RDC and the Kendrapada district Collector to submit an action-taken-report (ATR) within six weeks on residents of four villages in Kendrapada district being deprived of basic facilities as their villages are surrounded by rivers on all sides, due to which they are cut off from the mainland.
Earlier, civil society organisation Human Rights Watch secretary Sangita Swain in a petition to OHRC had alleged that till date more than 4,000 residents of Ekamania, Dakhinadiha and Nalapahi villages under Ali block of Kendrapada district are surrounded by the Bramhani, Kharaswata, Pathsala and Hansua rivers.
Due to this the residents are deprived of roads, education, healthcare, electricity and other basic facilities. Swain stated that this violates human rights due to inaction of the public authorities She prayed the commission to take criminal action against the concerned authorities and provide immediate basic facilities to the victims.