By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR/KENDRAPARA: Shouting slogans against local BJD MLA Pratap Deb and executing Company, Megha Engineering India Pvt Limited, defying section 144 of CrPC imposed in 3 Panchayats , agitating farmers under the banner of Kharasrota Banchao Sangram Samiti on Thursday went on rampage at the project site near Gadaghat Bridge in Rajkanika block of State’s Kendrapara district.
Inadequate water flow in Kharasrota will gradually destroy farming in 220 riverside villages having a population of around four lakh in Aul and Rajkanika blocks of the district, they alleged and hundreds of villagers including women gathered at the project site armed with bamboo sticks and wooden planks and shouted slogans against the government and the project.
Local farmers ransacked temporary camps and vehicles at a construction site at Bharigada in protest against the mega drinking water project worth Rs 892 Crore, for which water will be lifted from River Kharasrota , a major tributary of most polluted River Bramhani by one Hyderabad based Megha Engineering India Pvt Limited as part of its tender agreement with State’s Panchayati Raj, Drnking Water and Sanitation Department.
Local farmers of riverside villagers of Rajkanika block marched towards the project site near the river Kharosotra by violating prohibitory orders and ransacked the construction site.The agitators also damaged vehicles and camp offices of the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (RWSS) project under construction. They also attacked police, government officials, and RWSS staff.
“They suddenly went berserk and damaged the camp office, vehicles, and other infrastructures at the project site. They also attacked security personnel. Several vehicles including trucks have been damaged. The damage assessment is underway,” Police said.
On Tuesday, police had arrested around 72 protestors including two former MLAs of Aul Debendra Sharma and Dolagobinda Nayak for blocking the road near the project site at Barunadiha village and violating the prohibitory order.
The district administration had also clamped prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC in Balakati, Bharigada and Barunadiha Gram Panchayats under Rajkanika block till October 8 to expedite the project work
