By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: Rs 892.14 Crore Project is a Government project under Odisha Government’s Basudha Scheme, aims to feed safe drinking water for about 4 blocks of Bhadrak, for which water will be sourced from River Kharasrota. If it was a Government project, Why implementing agency, Hyderabad based Megha Engineering India Pvt Ltd purchased a huge patches of land at Gadagadi Ghat under Barunadiha Panchayats of Rajkanika block of Kendrapara, where the company carrying out its construction work. Is Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Department of Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Department as well as Kendrapara Collector aware of it? . Has local BJD MLA Pratap Deb any answer? Is RWSS Engineering-in-Chief aware of it? . How and Why MEIL purchased land if it was a Government project?. These are few billion dollar questions that are being debated among agitating farmers of Rajkanika –Aul, where Water Man Dr Rajendra Singh addressed them and went on added “ Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik killing and murdering Rivers for commercial gains,”.
The Company not only manipulated entire Basudha Scheme tender process of RWSS but also the company purchased a good patch of land at the disputed site at Gadagadi Ghat under Barunadiha-Bharigada Panchayats of Rajkanika block of Kendrapara under mysterious circumstances, sources said on Tuesday
After this, The www.indianewsdiary.com, investigated and came to know that the land on Bali Padia (locally known) facing River Kharasrota, where construction going on for Rs 892.14 Crore drinking water project, belongs to villagers of Barunadisha and it was purchased by the Company in the name of its senior manager Shaik Hussain Basha.
Documents accessed by this News Website, revealed that the land was purchased in the name of one Shaik Hussain Basha, religion Muslim, At-Plot No-46/180, 24 Budhawara Petta, Kurnool Canal Camp, District Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh. Investigations found that Shaik Hussain Basha is Senior Manager at Megha Engineering & Infrastructures Ltd.
Khata Nos shown in the document included 852/729, 852/728, 852/727 under Tehsil No-67 of Rajkanika , district Kendrapara. The documents claimed land was purchased for the safe drinking project of Bhadrak.
The document said plot no-472 belongs to Fakir Jena son of Bhima Jena caste Khandayat , own village means, Barunadiha Village, where project work going on while plot 591 belongs to Madhu Biswal-Naran Biswal son of Radhu Biwal, Surendra Biswal-Sarat Biswal-Hemanta Biswal son of Jadu Biswal, own village read, Barunadiha village, the project site of Megha Engineering India Pvt Ltd for its Bhadrak project and Plot 429 belongs to Panchanan Biswal-Druba Biswal-Maheswar Biswal son of Baishnab Biswal , caste Khandayat, own village,read Barunadiha.
It may be noted here that Bhadrak has major rivers like Baitarani, Salandi Kansabansa and Mantei as to why State Government is insisting on its decision to lift water from River Kharasrota , a defunct tributary of Coal mining hit River Brahmani.
The display board which has hanged at the project site located at Bharigada-Barunadiha twin Panchayats of Rajkaika, after much outcry, claimed to feed people of Chandabali, Tihidi, Basudevpur and Dhamnagar blocks of Bhadrak while water sourcing wil be from Kharasrota River , Gadagadi Ghat.
Quoting 2011 census, the MEIL display board, said the project would cover 6,16,828 and will reach at 10,29,065 as per 2050 census with water demand of 88.32 MLD.The date of commencement of the project, the MEIL mentioned that 15.02.2019 and will be completed by 28.02.2022. Implementing Department is RWSS Division; Bhadrak and Executing agency is MEIL, the display board reads.
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.
