Barrage plan on Mahanadi river spurs local protest

PARADIP:  A new barrage on Mahanadi river at Santra near Kujang will impact more than 50 villages, residents of Zillanashi gram panchayat said as they staged a protest meeting on Sunday. Seeking intervention of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in the matter, the villagers said the proposed barrage would submerge farmlands in Kujang and Tirtol blocks as nearly 5 lakh cusec water will be stocked at the barrage at Santra. 

The protestors held a meeting where it was decided to submit a memorandum to the authorities. “This barrage might benefit few farmers who don’t have agricultural land in Paradip and Kujang but would adversely affect others who depend on farming along with fishermen. Moreover, this would hamper transportation along the waterway,” the agitators said as they suggested an alternative site for the barrage at Tarapur under Raghunathpur block.

However, Water Resource Minister Raghunandan Das said the proposed barrage would give a boost to industrial units through water supply. Estimated at a cost of Rs 560 crore, this project will benefit farmers and fishermen of Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapara districts, added Das. 

Executive Engineer, Mahanadi South Irrigation Division, Rajesh Mohanty said the investigation division of the Water Resources department in Cuttack will conduct a detailed survey very soon for the proposed barrage to start work at the earliest. A technical team had visited the site on July 5, added Mohanty.