FChhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Monday assured that the Bodhghat project (irrigation) will not commence till the residents of Bastar give their consent.
Addressing a press conference in Kanker, he said: “Development works are directly linked to public concerns. The Bodhghat project will not start in any case until the people of Bastar give their nod.”
The Chief Minister is on his last leg of direct public interaction in Bastar division.
The tribal-dominated Bastar region has progressed at a fast pace in terms of development in the last three and half years.
The government’s initiative of rural development and promoting agriculture have further strengthened and boosted the economic condition of the local tribes, he said.
On Nyay yojanas’ key initiative, he said the direct transfer of money to bank accounts of beneficiaries under various schemes had brought changes in their lives.
Besides, the major policy change regarding minor forest produce procurement on support price and have added money to the forest dwellers and tribes.
Value addition of these on a massive scale, especially by women, have opened more economic options, he said.
All these factors had increased the demand for mobility in interior areas, with more and more people opting for two-wheelers, tractors and cars, Baghel said.
The district officials have been asked to implement all the announcements made within a fortnight, the Chief Minister said.
The Congress government has proposed to convert the multi-purpose project into an irrigation project. The Bodhghat project dam is to be constructed on Indravati River near Barsur village in Dantewada district.
Bastar being enlisted as a 5th Scheduled Area and under PESA Act, 43 villages and 5,704 hectares of forests would be submerged on implementation of the project.
Apart from it, 5,010 hectares of private land and 3,068 hectares of government land will also be submerged.
The project aims to cover 72 percent of arable land in Bastar for agricultural activities. The Central government has given in-principle approval for the first phase of the project, which includes a survey of the site and preparation of a detailed project report.
The project's expected cost is Rs 22,653 crores.