Hirakud oustees to get land rights

SAMBALPUR: Here’s a ray of hope for the land oustees of Hirakud Dam Project who have been fighting for their land rights for more than six decades. The Government, in a recently issued letter, has instructed the district administrations of Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Bargarh and Subarnapur to settle land rights of Hirakud land oustees by June 30.

The letter by Principal Secretary, Revenue and Disaster Management Department, CS Kumar asked the Collector to resolve the matter through field inquiry and officials conducting the inquiry shall not exclusively depend on relevant documents needed.

As per reports, about 22,000 families were affected following the submergence of more than 200 villages. Of them, 19,000 families were displaced due to the project. However, the State Government provided 287.14 acres homestead land and 8,468 acres agricultural land to only 2,243 families. The Government failed to take any step for rehabilitation of the remaining affected people.

After finding no way out, about 15,000 families started cultivating unutilised land, which was acquired for the project, besides other government land located in the periphery of Hirakud Dam.The government provided Deputy Commissioner patta of two acres of waste land to each family residing in the dam’s periphery. The Government also provided unutilised land of the project to the families for agriculture purposes on lease basis in 1959. However, it is yet to be settled in the names of displaced families.

A land oustee Lalit Pujari said people had paid land cess for the lease land till 1990 after which Government issued an order for settlement of land the same year. Subsequently, the land was transferred to Revenue Department from Water Resources Department in 2014 to issue patta to the farmers concerned. But, the land is yet to be settled despite order of the government, he said.