Krishi Vigyan Kendra-II faces infrastructure hurdles

ROURKELA:  The Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK)-II at Rourkela continues to face operational hurdles in the absence of proper infrastructure and functioning in a limited manner for a decade now. The KVK-II acts as a single window system for transfer of agriculture technology to farmers. 

Sources said, KVK-II, the second one for Sundargarh, was set up on a special consideration of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) of the Central Government in 2011.

KVK-I was set up at Kirei in 2004. After a delay of five years, district administration had handed over 50 acre surrendered land of the Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) at Bankia near the OMFED dairy plant to the OUAT, the KVK-II project implementing agency.

The OUAT had also planned to set up a 20-seat Agro Polytechnic Centre (APC) to offer diploma courses in agriculture. 

However, a group of tribals under the aegis of Sundargarh Zilla Adivasi Mulwasi Bachao Manch (SZAMBM), had opposed the project and obtained a stay from the Odisha High Court (HC) in April 2016 to stop construction work over some land issues.

By then, about Rs 1.44 crore was spent towards boundary wall and foundation laying of the APC building. Ever since, uncertainty lingers over the fate of the project. 

Since 2017, OUAT has been trying to shift the location from Rourkela. In March 2021, a team of OUAT had visited a site at Kuarnmunda and urged the administration to provide land.

As of now, the KVK-II office is operating with limited activities from a 700 square feet office space of the Soil Conservation and Watershed Directorate near Hockey Square, while the APC is running from a small space at the Panposh agriculture office. 

The ICAR is expected to pump in about Rs 50 crore in a span of five years into the second KVK also known as Agriculture Technology Park, with an aim to set up of a permanent campus including a training centre, demonstration units, crop cafeteria and orchards for farmers’ exposure. 

RN Pali MLA of BJD Subrat Tarai said opposing the project would only harm the tribal farming community of Panposh and Bonai sub divisions. He said there is no justification for site relocation and urged the district administration to extend technical support to OUAT in settling the litigation.