MALKANGIRI: Hundreds of tribals on Thursday staged a protest at Kamarpalli in Malkangiri opposing the proposed Kukrel dam project over the Chakabaka river in Chhattisgarh.
Armed with traditional weapons, the agitators including women and children took out a rally under the banner of ‘Zilla Adivasi Sangh’ and reportedly submitted a memorandum to the Malkangiri collector against the proposed project.
The tribals apprehend that the proposed dam project would inundate 58 villages in seven panchayats of Mathili block which shares a border with Chhattisgarh. Once the project comes up, 58 villages of Mahupadar, Salimi, Temrupalli, Kotapalli, Kiang, Kamarpalli and Meka in Mathili will be submerged, they said.
“The dam project will displace hundreds of people in Mathili. Besides, vast tracts of forest land in Odisha will be submerged, thereby affecting the livelihood of local people,” alleged the tribal leaders. They also claimed that the Chhattisgarh government has given the tender to a private firm for the construction of the dam.
The agitators urged the Odisha government to take up the issue with its Chhattisgarh counterpart through dialogue and stop the project. “We will not give up an inch of our land. Protests will be intensified if the state government fails to act on the matter,” they threatened.