Tribal outfit Adivasi Sengal Andolan has alleged neglect of the tribal populace going to be affected due to restart of Mandal dam project. Several MPs of Jharkhand and Bihar and even Union Minister Prakash Jawedkar have visited and inspected Mandal dam but none of them found it fit to sit with the local populace there to gauge their sentiments and feelings over this dam, said Victor Kerketta latehar district president of Adivasi Sengal Andolan.
Kerketta said the residents, who matter most in this dam, have never been taken into confidence but officials of the state and the Centre are just jumping over this dam without knowing what the residents feel for this dam. These leaders should first meet the locals to know what the ground reality here is.
Asked if Adivasi Sengal Andolan is against the re-start of work on this Mandal dam Kerketta said, “Who said thisIJ All we want is that crucial issues be first solved and sorted out. When this dam was started 42 years back promises were made of job, compensation etc. These are still in limbo in majority of cases. Now there is this fresh attempt to re start work on the dam it will trigger another big phase of displacement. The first scar of displacement is yet to be over when a newer one is in the pipe line.”
“Mandal dam makes big headlines these days but has any one bothered for the 28 Km long road between Barwadeeh and Mandal dam which is not a road by any standard or imagination where a healthy falls sick and a sick gets far worse travelling on this road,” said Kerketta.
Kerketta who is the head of an NGO Society For Grassroot Development said the PMO and the CMO must look at this road as to reach this dam you need a road but where it isIJ He has another tough poser for both the PMO and the CMO when he reminded that at the start of the construction of this dam it was assured that there would be 20 to 25 mega watt power production from hydel project here as then the height of this dam was 371 meters but now it is reduced to 341 meter so there is no question of production of electricity from water here. Is this not a cheatingIJ He asked. The dream of abundance of electricity from our own water and cheapest electricity too here is just shattered he said.
On being asked that a team of ground officials out to collect samples of the structure of the dam was recently detained for hours by residents there Kerketta said he too was there and it was to highlight the plight of the common people and also to prevail upon the authorities to understand and set right the priority before embarking upon this dam afresh.
There can be no re start of work on this dam unless the PMO and the CMO come out with people friendly packages for relocation and rehabilitation of people for which NTCA has already a package of its own reminded Kerketta.
He said lakhs of trees were uprooted and destroyed 42 years back and now the same have again come up in huge form so there will be mayhem of these vegetation and trees asked this tribal leader.