By Our Correspondent
KENDRAPARA/BHUBANESWAR: As many as 4 river side Panchayats read Barunadiha, Bharigada, Baruna and Siko under Rajkanika block of Kendrapara, coming under Aul Assembly seat held by BJD’s Pratap Keshari Deb, have sent a very strong message through ballot papers in the just concluded Panchayat polls. All winners have been closely associated with Kharasrota Banchao Sangram Samiti.
These Panchayats were in news since past 2 years for the agitation being carried out by Kharasrota Banchao Sangram Samiti opposing lifting of water from River Kharasrota for a Basudha scheme drinking water project worth Rs 892 Crore for Bhadrak district.
Sangram Samiti backed candidates have swept the Panchayats polls with an impressive margins between 600 to 750 votes against BJD candidates, mostly close aids of Aul MLA Pratap Deb.
During the election campaign, MLA Deb had promised, if people voted for BJD backed candidates, State Government will provide blank cheque for development and he will also coordinate a meeting of winning candidates with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik but people have wholeheartedly rejected , which reflected in voting.
Duryadhan Mohanty and Laxmi Priya Nayak, have been elected as Sarpanch and Samiti member of Barunadiha GP while Minarani Mallick and Sarat Rout in Bharigada GP as Sarpanch and Samiti member respectively.
In BJD stronghold, Baruna GP , the ruling Party faced the music of locals and voted aganst Pratap Deb’s candidates. In Baruna GP, Yashbanti Behere and Gautam Barik elected as Sarpanch and Samiti member while in Siko GP, Gangadhar Behera won as Sarpanch and Amit Nayak as Samiti membrs.
People of these Panchayats have been protesting lifting of water from the River for a drinking water project for Bhadrak, which clearly reflected in voting , where BJD backed candidate stood far behind from winning margin.
MLA Pratap Deb had campaigned several times seeking votes for BJD backed candidates in these Panchayats, which seems not impacted on local villagers, who were opposed to water lifting from Kharasrota to Bhadrak.
Local farmers in Rajkanika and Aul blocks were arguing that while preparing the project for Bhadrak, the State Government had skipped rivers Baitarani, Salandi, Mantei and Kansabansa which are major rivers in the State and instead preferred to extract water from Kharasrota, the smallest river in the State. Locals living both sides of River Kharasrota ,feels their lifeline will be dried if water lifted for two projects and that clearly visible in voting.
