Odisha: Women take up cudgels against sewage plant site

JAGATSINGHPUR:  Alleging the administration of misleading them, hundreds of women belonging to various Mahila Samiti Groups stopped the construction work of the proposed 20 KLD septage treatment plant (SeTP) at Rasulpur village in Jagatsinghpur municipality on Monday. They said the villagers were neither informed nor consulted over the SeTP project. Instead, the administration cheated them by taking their consent for a park instead of the plant. 

On Monday, women from Rasulpur, Deobhog, Chatra and Galupad villages joined hands to stage a stir against the construction of the SeTP and halted the construction work. The labourers, reportedly fled the spot when the incident took place. 

Earlier, the administration had decided to set up the plant at Kantaballavpur under Jagatsinghpur Municipality but faced stiff opposition from the villagers who ransacked the construction site many times. Subsequently, it was decided to relocate the plant to Rasulpur but villagers alleged they were not informed. One of the agitating women leaders Laxmi Priya Das said they are opposed to the plant as no prior consultation was held with the villagers on which land it was going to be set up.

“The land where the plant construction is taking place, was used for livestock grazing and also for burial purposes. Now, we have none,” she said. Another woman Ahalya Devi alleged that officials misled them. “Many illiterate villagers were cheated and their thumb impression was taken without correct information by the officials. The location of the treatment plant will lead to pollution in the surrounding areas and we oppose it,” she said. 

As per Orissa High Court’s directives, it is mandatory on the part of the municipality to install a waste treatment system in accordance with the Municipal Solid Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2000. However, Jagatsinghpur municipality, which has 21 wards and a population of 40,000 in the town, has been dragging its feet on setting up the plant since 2018. Sources said the sanitation standard is poor in all wards with no solid waste management plan in place.

Besides, people have been using Machgaon sub canal, which comes from Dusnumber to Purohitpur through Jagatsinghpur town, as a dumping yard for garbage and other effluents.  A senior officer of Jagatsinghpur Municipality said the civic body has awarded a tender to a  contractor for construction of the SeTP plant at a cost of `3 crores but he has been facing disruptions in work due to opposition by villagers. 
Meanwhile, Jagatsinghpur IIC Swetapadama Das said the stir was called off after police reached the spot.