By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR/KENDRAPARA: The Gautam Adani led Adani Group run Dhamra Port Company Limited (DPCL) has enough water for its own consumption as well as coal handling and does not require any more water as of now, highly placed sources said on Wednesday. The DPCL is taking water from River Mantei since 2011 and taken around 60 acres of land to reserve it and the Port Major no way need water from River Kharasrota, a tributary of River Brahmani.
Well informed sources in DPCL in Bhadrak said, only coal coming from Talcher-Angul belt requires water spray while there was no need of water for cocking coal as it will damage its quality. Coal handling at DPCL is not high in comparison to Paradeep and Haldia Ports and the Port does not require any more water now, sources added.
“DPCL has enough water for its daily consumption and the Port taking water from Mantei River and allegations of Congress leaders and some activists in Aul-Rajkanika in Kendrapara are baseless and fabricated,” locals living nearby Dhamra Port said. “With DPCL not requiring water from River Kharasrota connecting Aul-Rajkanika , the allegations raised by Congress leaders seems not getting much attention ,” sources said.
Local famers under the banner of Kharasrota Banchao Sangram Samiti led by 2 former MLAs of Aul, Deba Sharma and Dola Nayak, belongs to Congress and BJP, has been alleging that water is mysteriously being planned to lift from River Kharasrota for DPCL’s coal handling instead it be used for drinking water for people of Chandabali, Dhamra and Basudevpur in Bhadrak and Aul-Kanika in Kendrapara.
As Government plans to lift water from Kharasrota for 2 projects, Locals living both sides of River are opposing Mega Drinking water project worth Rs 892 Crore, for Bhadrak tender of which , Hyderabad based Megha Engineering India Limited , got and works not yet started due to local resistance. While another project worth Rs 268.11 Crore planned for Aul-Kanika, technical bids for which, had been submitted by India’s 5 major companies including construction major L& T, 4 others included KEC Ltd, NCC Ltd, MEIL , which got the Bhadrak project.
Local Aul BJD MLA and former Minister Pratap Keshari Deb and his Chandabali counterpart and Party colleague, Byamokesh Ray have been trying very hard to implement 2 projects planned under State’s Government’s flagship, Vasudha scheme, for the benefits of tens of thousands in twin districts , those are facing crisis of drinking water but local resistance stalling the work, sources added. Even survey work not started yet.
Few days back, hundreds of local women under the banner of KBSS observed ‘Jal Satyagraha’ in at Bharigada under Rajkanika block of the district. Locals demanding that before taking up the project for diversion of water from the river, the Water Resources Departent as well as Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Department jointly take steps for construction of a project in the lower catchment of the river for supply of drinking water in Aul and Rajkanika.
Local farmers fearing that If water is extracted for the mega pipe water project, the flow of water would decrease and the salinity of the water will increase which will cause severe damage to agriculture. It would also lead to acute water scarcity in the two blocks- Aul and Rajkanika in Kendrapara. The KBSS has been spearheading the protest since past 2 months.
Sources said, the State Government has also planned 8 drinking water projects for Jajpur while 2 got approval and 6 waiting to get final nod. These projects envisages lifting of water from Kharasrota,Brahmani, Genguti, Baitarani.
Local farmers in Rajkanika and Aul blocks are 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.
Engineer-in-Chief RWSS under State Governent’s Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Department, Abhay Kumar Biswal, has been assuring that both project are intended for welfare of people of Kendrapara and Bhadrak and all apprehensions have been addressed properly before execution of these mega drinking water projects.
Local farmers in some 60 Panchayats of Rajkanika and Aul have been protesting over water lifting from River Kharasrota for Bhadrak district and they feared their agricultural activities will hit due to shortage of water.The project would also adversely affect the entire Bhitarakanika National Park as it is dependent for its survival on this river which is the only source of fresh water as the other rivers are saline in nature, locals alleged.
“Since Vasudha Scheme is one among the major welfare schemes and , is one of the dream project of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for rural Odisha, and closely being monitoring by 5T Secretary VK Pandian and Development Commissioner, Suresh Mohapatra and with active participation of able Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Department Secretary Deoranjan Kumar Singh and his counterpart in Works Department, Dr Krishna Kumar, BJD’s Aul MLA Deb, seems no mood to lose the faith of Loka Seva Bhawan as well as Naveen Niwas,” sources in Odisha Government said. “After the completion of tender process, it is now for Bhadrak and Kendrapara district administrations and police to ensure security and law and order for the executing companies at the project site,” official sources said.
