PARADIP: Despite implementation of Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana - ‘Saubhagya’ to ensure electrification of all willing households, nearly 5,000 slum dwellers in three Wards of Sandhkuda under Paradip Municipality are yet to get power supply. Enraged over the issue, they gheraoed the Superintendent Engineer and Executive Engineer offices here demanding electrification on Wednesday.
Sources said five-decade-long land dispute between Paradip Port Trust (PPT) and the State Government has affected implementation of different welfare programmes in 25 slums of the Port Town. Around 80 per cent of the population of the town numbering 59,216 households lives in slums. Most of them live in informal settlements with no legal tenant rights. Basic amenities such as drinking water, sanitation, electricity, roads and livelihood options are still a distant dream. Though the land dispute was resolved with the intervention of Orissa High Court in 2015 and it was decided to transfer or alienate identified land in Sandhakud without any lease in favour of the PPT, no step has been taken in this regard by the Government.
However, the officials of Energy department had set up electric poles on disputed land in Sandhakud to provide power supply under the Central Government- sponsored scheme ‘Saubhagya’ in April. But the activists of BJD protested against the erection of electric poles on disputed land and stopped the electrification work in the slum.
Gatikrushna Satpathy, a member of BJP State Executive Body, said electrification work in three wards of Sandhkuda has been stopped for the last two months due to intervention of BJD activists. No step has been taken by the officials of CESU to resume electrification work on the disputed land. Earlier, CESU officials had provided electricity connection to only 20 slum dwellers, while rest are living in a pathetic condition with day temperature hovering around 42 degrees Celsius, he added.
Protesting against the administration’s apathy to resolve the issue, the slum dwellers on Wednesday gheraoed the local electricity office and demanded immediate power supply.
Executive Engineer Smrutiranjan Swain said steps have been taken to implement the Centre-sponsored ‘Saubhagya’ electrification scheme in Sandhkuda. At least 20 to 25 transformers are required to provide power supply in three wards. The department has installed three transformers to provide power supply to nearly 500 slum dwellers in the first phase. The department is expecting to complete electrification work in Sandhkuda within three to four months, he added.
Villagers take to streets over power cuts
Coming down heavily on Jagatsinghpur administration for power cuts in the district, irate residents of Sagbaria, Jagannathpur, Tulang, Garam and other villages of Tirtol tehsil on Wednesday staged demonstrations and blocked Manijanga-Erasama road at Narua protesting power disruption and low voltage in the areas. They alleged that erratic power supply has added to the summer woes of people of different areas of Tirtol who are already reeling under scorching heat. Vehicular traffic was paralysed for more than five hours. Later, police officials rushed to the spot and pacified them.