Soroda:Hundreds of people including women of various villages in Soroda block of Ganjam doistrict has participated in the 10 day padayatra,started today at Pipalapanka. Demanding cancellation of Pipalapanka dam and to stop rampant excavation of sand from Rushikulya river,the Padayatra started from Soroda block,which will end at Rushikulya mouth near Purunabandh in Ganjam block on 25/3/2025,said Bhalachandra sadangi leader of Rushikulya surakhya samiti.He claimed that,hundred of residents of 23 villages,are likely to be affected by the proposed dam at the confluence of Rushikulya and Odangi rivers near Pipalapanaka.As such,due to deposits of silt,the height of Rushikulya’s river bed has increased to land level at several places.As a result, the water flow has reduced in the river.In such a condition, the proposed dam would invite disaster,said Sadangi.Another leader Sudhir rout said if the project materialises, Rushikulya River will dry up. Besides, 23 villages and thousands of acre of land will be submerged.During mid late 90s, Tata Group had proposed to set up a port-based mega steel plant at Gopalpur.The then Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao had contested Lok Sabha elections on the Congress ticket from Berhampur constituency in 1996. It was said that to ensure his electoral success,he had pressurised the Tata Group to agree for the post-based steel plant.Ahead of the parliamentary elections, PV Narasimha Rao had laid the foundation stone for the plant in December 1995.Top executives of the Tata Group including Ratan Tata were present on the occasion.Along with the proposed mega steel plant, a proposal was mooted to build Pipalapanka reservoir on Rushikulya river to supply water to the proposed steel plant.Then,the district administration extended all possible cooperation and drew up a master plan for drawing water from the reservoir.However,both the projects opposed strongly,which resulted in wide spread agitations.It was demanded that,if the reservoir project is executed,it should be solely used for farming.On 30 March, 1998, former Berhampur MP Jayanti Patnaik had raised the issue of Pipalapanka reservoir project in Lok Sabha.She had then urged the Central government for implementing the Pipalapanka reservoir project on as the execution of this project is very necessary to meet the water needs of the steel plant proposed by Tata Group on the Gopalpur coast.By that time,Tata had then acquired hundreds of acres of land for the porposed steel plant through IDCO,but due to stiff opposition from locals, the company had to withdraw itself from the Pipalapanka project.After around three decades,the issue of building the dam was raised again.Just before general election-2024,the Pipalapanka project got,govt approval.However public hearing for the project postponed several times due to stiff protest by the people to be affected,which held on 25/12/2024 amid the protest.Bighneswar sahu,social worker said,that no dam should be allowed in any river because the natural flow of river water gets affected.He said,water crisis for irrigation in Ganjam district increased since decades.Rushikulya river goes dry in summer and winter,in such a situation the proposed dam will bring disaster for the lands.He said,Sorad reservoir built during the British Raj on Jarau and Padma rivers is in dilapidated state,but there has been no step for its restoration.He said,from the proposed pipalapanka dam,there was a proposal for supply of around 60 million gallon water per day to the proposed indistries in Chatrapur.For the purpose pipeline of around 100 km to be laid.If the water supplied,not only the cultivable lands in the area deprived from irrigation water the posibility of drying of river Rushikulya in other seasons cannot be rulled out.On the otherhand Ganjam collector Dibyajyoti parida said,a fresh survey for the Dam has been done and a land of measuring 2725 acres will be used.Of the total lands while only 86 acres of private lands are there,rest 2094 acres are of reserved forest land and rest are revenue lands.The 86 acres of private lands belongs to Kulapadar,Ganapankal, Gajalbadi, Ramanabadi and Rubangi,but no village or houses will not be affected,ascerted the Collector.The EE,Debendra pradhan said,the dam project aimed to irrigate a total of 2500 hectres of land including 700 hecs of Gajalpbadi panchayat and rest 1800 hecs of Gopalpur sasan panchayat.
