Dharmendra Pradhan Writes To Odisha CM; Demands Land Patta, Revenue Village Tag For Rengali Dam Oustees

Bhubaneswar: Senior BJP leader and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has demanded compensation and permanent land patta to the people displaced by the Rengali River Dam Project in Odisha.

In a letter to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, the Union Minister said the compensation amount announced earlier by the state government should be paid to the displaced people at the earliest.

Dharmendra further urged the Chief Minister to accord revenue village status to the place where the displaced people are living.

Stating that the Rengali Dam which was built on the Brahmani river in 1980 is the second largest river embankment project in Odisha, he said the project strengthened the irrigation and power generation, but it has also increased local people’s agony.

Between 1978 and 1984, around 13,000 families in 236 revenue villages became homeless due to the project. In the absence of proper accommodation and compensation, thousands of these families are still living in penury, said Dharmendra.

In September, 2010, as per the instruction of the Chief Minister, the amount of compensation was estimated at around Rs 152 crore, but the affected families are yet to get compensation and rehabilitation packages, the Union Minister said.

Dharmendra sought the intervention of the Chief Minister to grant permanent land patta to the displaced families and accord status of revenue villages.