BJD stuck on island between two rivers

KENDRAPARA:  As General Elections close in, unfulfilled promises are set to queer the pitch for ruling BJD in Patkura Assembly segment. Resentment is brewing among the around 55,000 people of 28 villages in the island between Luna and Karandia rivers over non-construction of embankments to protect them from flooding. The residents of these villages, which bear the brunt of floods year after year, constitute a significant share of voters in the constituency.

Arjun Jena of Purusottampur said, “Our villages located between two rivers are vulnerable to flooding. We lead an uncertain life because of frequent flooding. Though we have urged the district authorities including local MLA Bed Prakash Agrawalla to build embankments several times in past, no steps have been taken to address our problems.” 

Echoing similar sentiments, Ghana Jena of Narasinghpur said, “Our agriculture land has been rendered useless due to floods.” He pointed towards his farm field full of silt brought in by the turbulent river Luna. Sources said both Luna and Karandia have devoured lands of many villagers in the island.

Nrusingha Swain of Luna-Karandia River Island Development Committee, which works for the welfare of people living in these villages, said due to non-construction of a 15-km long river embankment in the area, Jalapoka, Aitipur, Basupur, Endala, Bangalapur and several other gram panchayats face the wrath of floods every year. “Leaders of various political parties had promised to stone-pack the river embankment during the last elections. But after the poll, they forgot their promises,” he said.

Before the elections in 2014, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had promised to stone-pack the 15 km river embankment in the island under flood protection project work. However, the promise is yet to be fulfilled, said Sankar Jena of Dihabalarampur. 

Sitting BJD MLA Agrawalla, Congress leader Jayant Mohanty and BJP leader Utkal Keshari Parida are likely to contest the elections in Patkura. In the last polls, Agrawalla had defeated Mohanty. The sitting MLA is hopeful to get the party ticket this time too. But many local BJD leaders including chairman of Derabishi block Saroj Sahoo are opposing the 83-year-old MLA. Agrawalla was elected from Kendrapara seat in 1974, 1977, 1990 and 2000 Assembly polls. In 2009, he got elected from Patkura after Kendrapara was declared a reserved seat.