After a gap of a year, the tribals under the banner of Sundargarh Zilla PESA Gramsabha Samannwita Samiti on Wednesday gathered at the Banabasi Kalyan Ashram, Deogaon, wielding their traditional weapons to protest against the Rukuda dam work and demanded adequate compensation to the displaced families.
They submitted a charter of demands to Additional Social Welfare Officer as the Sub-Collector of Bonei was absent. They demanded immediate stopping of the Rukuda dam work, enforcement of the Tribal Atrocities Protection Act, 1984, allotment of five acre of land to each displaced family, provision of amenities to the tribals as per 5th schedule of Constitution and patta on forest land, among others.
“If our demands are not addressed in a fortnight, we will be forced to intensify the movement,” says Budhua Jojo, a tribal leader. The Rukuda project Executive Engineer Sunila Nayak said all the displaced families were given compensation in different phases as per the rule. Now they are coming with certain new lists. But the project work is going on smoothly and it is hoped to be completed by 2015-16 without any further hurdles, he said.
It is to be mentioned here that the project was originally conceived in 1972 with an aim to provide water to 74 villages of Bonai and Gurundia blocks. It was estimated at Rs 26 crore and had the nod of NABARD. The project, however, could not be taken up with 624 families of nearby villages, including Katuridhuan, Bhandabhuin and Kantabahal, opposing the project. After several rounds of negotiations with the protestors and assurance of appropriate rehabilitation, the project work actually started in 2007 with a revised cost of Rs 200 crore. Initially Rs 15 crore was paid as compensation to around 540 families and Rs 5.91 crore was spent on acquiring land for the project. Activities on the ground gained momentum in 2012.
But tribals under the banner of Sundargarh Adivasi Mahasabha had barged into the dam premises and assaulted the workers on February 3, 2013. They had threatened them with dire consequences bringing work at the site to a grinding halt. Bonei police registering three cases had arrested four persons in connection with the incident including the main accused in these cases.