Drinking water project work resumes in Bharigada amid tight security

KENDRAPARA: Braving local resistance, the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation department resumed work on the mega drinking water project at the riverside village of Bharigada under Rajkanika block amid tight security on Tuesday.

Work at the project site had come to a halt on August 12 after villagers staged violent protest opposing construction of a barrage over Kharasrota to divert water from the river to neighbouring Bhadrak district. Police had arrested 24 protestors for ransacking the  project site and assaulting government officials.

To thwart any violence from locals, the district administration has deployed 14 platoons of police force at the construction site. Earlier on August 10, prohibitory orders under section 144 of the CrPC were imposed at the site till October 8.Kendrapara Sub-Collector Niranjan Behera said construction work of the drinking water project has been resumed and is going on smoothly.

Executive engineer of the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (RWSS) Basant Nayak said the `754 crore project envisages diversion of water from Kharasrota river in Kendrapara to 91 gram panchayats having a population of around five lakh in four blocks of Bhadrak for drinking water purposes. “The project will not dry up the river as we will lift only surplus water through pipelines,” he clarified.

Meanwhile, opposition leaders staged dharna in front of the Collector’s office to protest the drinking water project on the day. Congress leader and convener of Kharasrota Banchao Sangram Samiti Debendra Sharma said, “We are determined to oppose the project as the government, on  pretext of providing water to people, has planned to supply the river water to multinational companies  and big business houses to run their  plants and industries.”

Among others, former ministers Ganeswar Behera and Panchanan Kanungo, ex-MLA of Rajnagar Ansuman Mohanty and CPM leader  Umesh Chandra Sini were present.Residents of three panchayats in Kendrapara’s Rajkanika and Aul blocks are opposing the project as they believe that the river would dry up after its implementation. They fear inadequate water flow in Kharasrota will gradually destroy farming in 220 riverside villages having a population of around four lakh in the two blocks.