BERHAMPUR: The Rushikulya Rayat Mahasabha on Saturday demanded the formation of a development council for Ganjam district, with particular emphasis on flood management, irrigation, drinking water supply and rehabilitation of farmers affected by recurring natural disasters.
At a meeting held here on Saturday, the farmers’ organisation said that cyclone Arnab had severely affected agriculture, livelihoods and the rural economy, setting the district’s development back by several years.
Speaking at the meeting, Mahasabha secretary Simanchal Nahak said nearly 80 per cent of Ganjam’s population depended on agriculture, including farmers, sharecroppers and agricultural labourers.
He pointed out that sharecroppers cultivated nearly 50 per cent of the district’s agricultural land but were deprived of adequate compensation and crop insurance benefits despite suffering substantial losses.
With paddy, vegetables and other crops destroyed, thousands of farming families were struggling under mounting debts and finding it difficult to repay loans taken from moneylenders. Many could eventually be forced to migrate outside the state in search of livelihoods, he said.
Nahak also alleged that while actual cultivators and sharecroppers bore the brunt of agricultural losses, landowners living elsewhere were often able to access government assistance without having directly borne the costs of cultivation.
The group proposed the formation of a Ganjam disaster-affected reconstruction committee to ensure proper compensation and rehabilitation for all categories of people affected by natural calamities.
The Mahasabha also raised concerns over the proposed 155-foot dam at Pipalapanka, arguing that large dams could entail environmental risks. Citing concerns attributed to the World Bank, it called for a detailed technical assessment before undertaking such projects.
It proposed constructing a series of smaller check dams and anicuts at suitable locations along the Rushikulya river, on the lines of the Janibili anicut. Such structures, it argued, could help conserve rainwater and improve irrigation facilities.