As many as 680 families would be displaced for setting up an irrigation project in Orissa's Nayagarh district, the stage-I environment clearance for which had been accorded by the Centre, official sources said.
Issuing direction to officials to ensure that the displaced families were properly rehabilitated, chief minister Naveen Patnaik said that about 23,300 hectares of agricultural land was estimated to get irrigation facilities by the irrigation project over Brutang river.
Patnaik reviewed the irrigation project last evening, barely hours after residents of about 21 villagers unitedly opposed to it. "We will not allow our houses to be inundated for the project," said Jasoda Behara, one of the giators.
While the state government was all set to implement the project by appointing a special officer to coordinate early clerance of the stage-II environment clearance, the local residents under the banner of Basachyuta Sangram Samiti vowed not to vacate their house and land to be submerged.
About 2110 hectare of land was likely to be inundated due to the proposed project to be set up over river Brutang in Nayagarh district.
Stating that 7.42 lakh people living in 309 villages in five blocks area of Nayagarh district would get benefit due to the project, Kandhamal MP Rudra Ray said he was talking to the agitating people to pave way for setting up the irrigation project.
Ray during the BJD's 10-day long 'padayatra', visited several villages to be displaced due to the project and tried to convince the people. "We are sorry that a large number of people will be displaced. But the project is very important as it will irrigate about 25,000 hectares of agricultral land," the MP said.
