Hirakud displaced: Nightmare of living sans basic amenities

--Fishermen forced to go for distress sale

BHATLI (BARGARH): The Hirakud Dam, a manmade marvel inaugurated by first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, has brought spectacular change in the field of agriculture, industry, education and living standard of the people of the State, but at the same time, it became a malady for the villagers and people who left their home land for the greatest cause of human being.

Due to the project, the villagers were displaced from their home land. They went nearby areas while some of them settled far away from the land. The reservoir brought a few villages a nightmare as they got disconnected from the outside world. The local people had been depending on undivided Sambalpur district and when they became a part of newly born Bargarh district, they lost many benefits they used to get earlier.

Presently, though the displaced people belong to Bargarh district, they are using resources of Jharsuguda district. The nearby village islands of the reservoir are Bhutli, Rengali, Kurumkel, Gobindpur, Launsara, Zarimuli, San-Jampali, Kudokhai, Chhatadei and Bangapali. They come under Uttam panchayat of Ambabhona block in Bargarh district. The villages are covered by forest and water with a population of 2,500.

These cut-off villagers are living without basic facilities. They neither have roads to commute, nor have the luxury to watch a TV. These villages are 50km away from semi urban area Bhatli. The people of the area use local made boat to connect with the mainstream.

Another livelihood problem of the area is tax. Fishermen pay tax to both Jharsuguda and Bargarh district to sell their catches. Even they sell their fish at less than the market price, even as there is a fish cooperative at Tamdei of Uttam Panchayat in the district. Fishermen give `4 per 1 kg as tax for fishing on the reservoir. They sell 10-12 quintals of fish at `30-40 per kg to middlemen of other district. A majority area of the reservoir is in Bargarh district, but the fishermen of Jharsuguda district are a headache for the local fishers.

They come in dark night and leave the reservoir with a good catch before the locals enter. Because of the communication problem, the fishermen are bound to sell their fish at Thekra Cooperative of Jharsuguda district. They hire boat at `300 to cross the reservoir which is very costly, said a fisherman.

These isolated areas are situated at a distance of 18km from their panchayat. It takes a day to return from the Panchayat headquarters after taking their respective quota of Re 1 per kg rice because of vast forest and water surrounded area. They don’t have land property to use for farming. They don’t have electricity, water, sanitation and other emergency facilities.

The people of these villages are hard working. They fight with nature every moment to eke out a living. The women and children also operate boat and help in fishing. When fishermen cannot market their good catch, women dry the fishes.