BHUBANESWAR: The proposed Brutanga irrigation project has hit a stumbling block with the Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) reportedly deciding to conduct more studies on its impact on wildlife and tribal population before giving it a green signal.
The FAC, which met in New Delhi today, is understood to have agreed to conduct more studies on its likely impact on the wildlife habitat, particularly movement of elephants. Incidentally, the decision vis-a-vis the project has come just a few days after the FAC had on August 20 given it in-principle nod paving way for diversion of 1524.17 hectares of forest land.
Soon after that Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh had announced that based on the recommendation of the forest panel and also keeping in view that this is an irrigation project which would benefit thousands of farmers in Orissa, the ministry accorded the stage I clearance to it.
The ministry in its previous order on August 31 had imposed at least 32 conditions on the State Government, including construction of overpasses in forest land for movement of elephants. A second thought was given to the project after it was felt that till date there is no documented proof that such structures could be successful in India.
According to experts, elephant herds never use such constructions even if intelligently built or camouflaged. The ministry order had said that as the Buguda colony area is part of an existing elephant corridor, the State Government should not undertake any activity for resettlement and rehabilitation (R&R) of the project-affected families in that area and identify suitable alternate land not falling in any elephant corridor for R&R of affected families.
It had also asked the State Government to ensure that no land in Jhintikabari village, located in an important elephant migratory route, is utilised for resettlement of the project-affected families. Moreover, a huge chunk of tribal population will have to give away their forest land for the project. With a reservoir scheme across river Brutanga, the project proposes to provide irrigation to 31,110 hectares of gross command area and 23,330 hectares of cultivable command area of its independent ayacut in Dasapalla, Khandapara, Odagaon and Nayagarh blocks of Nayagarh district.
The project had obtained clearance from the Techno-Economic Appraisal Committee of the Central Water Commission on December 18, 2000, but was placed before the FAC in its meeting on August 20.