Sambalpur: Today is the 67th foundation day of Hirakud dam, Generation of Displaced People still struggling for justice
Sambalpur: It has been 66 years since the establishment of Hirakud dam. The world’s longest dam will celebrate its 67th anniversary on Friday. It may have become insignificant for the current Odisha government, but the displaced people who lost everything for this dam cannot forgot this day from their minds. Meanwhile, many questions have been raised about the durability, safety and utility of this dam. Only time will tell how many more Inauguration Years the Hirakud Dam will celebrate, but no one has an answer as to when the tears flowing from the eyes of generation after generation of displaced families for this project will dry up.
These displaced people, who left their homes for the sake of the state and the country, are still struggling to get compensation for their land, houses and utensils. Budi Anchal Samiti Lakhanpur and Hirakud Displaced Security Samiti Sambalpur are two organizations that continue to fight for the rights of displaced people. Apart from this, lawyer and human rights activist RadhaKanta Tripathy is also fighting for the interests of these displaced people in the court and the National Human Rights Commission. Government apathy is prolonging this long struggle.
Over the years, from Tahsildars, District Collectors, Northern Revenue Collectors to Chief Secretaries, Chief Ministers, Governors, Prime Ministers and Presidents, from the RI office to the Supreme Court, they have been running around the bar. Regular programs such as issue of demand letters, protests, demonstrations, hunger strikes etc. are going on. Even now, most of them have not found any other land to build their houses instead of their houses, sticks, fields, straw that are submerged in water.
According to the data of the Hirakud Displaced Welfare Committee, 26,501 families were affected by the 760 square kilometer reservoir created by the Hirakud River embankment inaugurated by the first Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on January 13, 1957. 19,000 of them had to be displaced from their villages. Only 2243 families were resettled in 17 rehabilitation camps. Other families were scattered in search of food, shelter and work. At that time, there was no adequate law for the resettlement and compensation of the displaced, nor was there any institution like the Human Rights Commission available to hear complaints. So they did not have a special opportunity to ask for their rights. Subsequently, it has been ordered to pay compensation amount, 10 decimal land etc. to the displaced persons in various stages. But due to the indifference of the government officials, it remains in the order. Recently, the Chief Minister announced that 2 thousand displaced families of Jharsuguda district will be given 10 decimals of land each for building houses. The displaced are waiting for the fulfillment of the said promise.
The displaced families will stage a protest today in front of the office of the Northern Revenue Commissioner on the occasion of foundation day. Shailbala Pradhan, President of Hirakud Displaced Welfare Society, said that they will leave in a procession and go to the residential office of RDC.
Among their demands are issuance of 10-decimal land leases, identification and occupation of those already allotted land, implementation of earlier orders of the National Human Rights Commission, issuance of displacement certificates to displaced families, Recruitment of 3 additional tehsildars and 5 additional tehsildars in the Lakhanpur tehsil office to streamline the land allotment process. Mrs. Pradhan informed that they will provide the claim documents containing these claims to the RDC.
