Tension erupted on Thursday at the construction site of the Barunadiha-based mega piped water project of Kharasrota river following thousands of locals, including women, under the banner of Kharasrota Banchao Sangram Samiti (KBSS) protesting the project, clashed with police and ransacked camp office, machineries and equipment of Hyderabad-based Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited, entrusted for the construction of the project. According to sources, to protest the ongoing project work, the KBSS on Wednesday evening had organised a preparatory meeting for a mass protest at the construction site. Thousands of locals, including women, led by former MLAs Debendra Sharma and Dolagobinda Nayak, congregated on Thursday and marched towards the construction site. The district administration apprehending law and order situation had deployed 16 platoons of police force at the project site and in the adjoining areas. The district SP, Sub-Collector, ADM and an Executive Magistrate too were present. But tension erupted on the spot following the police personnel restricted the protestors from entering the project site. The mob forcibly entered the construction site by breaking the police barricade and cordon along with violating the Section 144 CrPC. Later, they went on vandalizing the company’s assets including vehicles, JCB, ambulance, furniture, water tank that were kept near the construction site. Even, a couple of police personnel, including the SDPO of Pattamundai, sustained mild injuries. "We are determined to intensify our protest if the State Government does not scrap the project,” said KBSS secretary Bidhan Das.
According to former MLA of Aul Debendra Sharma, who is the adviser of KBSS, “The river Kharasrota is our lifeline. People of Kendrapada completely depend on it for their drinking and agricultural requirements.
Any attempt to divert water from here to other areas will not be allowed and met with stiff protest.” Former two-time MLA and BJP leader Dolagobinda Nayak alleged the project would supply drinking water to 92 Panchayats of Chandabali, Tihidi, Dhamanagar and Basudevpur blocks and 47 wards of urban areas of Bhadrak district. Notably, the Rs 892-crore project under Basudha Yojana will be completed in 2022. The protestors apprehend that if water would be extracted for the mega pipe water project then the water flow would decrease and the salinity of the water will increase.
Besides, the people of the locality will face acute scarcity of water for drinking and irrigation purposes. They also said the diversion of excess water from the river would adversely affect the ecology of the river, and the flora and fauna of the Bhitarkanika National Park.