JAGATSINGHPUR: Several Scheduled Tribe (ST) families in Tirtol block are taking shelter in makeshift polythene huts despite receiving pucca houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), as their newly constructed homes remain vulnerable to flooding. The families said their locality has been inundated four times already this year.
Nearly 50 ST families have been residing on government land at Mundasahi under Tirtol panchayat for the past 50 to 60 years. The administration provided land pattas measuring one decimal each to 16 families for construction of houses. Subsequently, the beneficiaries received work orders under PMAY during 2022-23 and constructed houses at Gopiakuda in the same block.
However, the houses have failed to provide the intended shelter as they are in a low-lying area. Whenever the Mahanadi river is in spate, floodwater enters the locality and reportedly rises to four to five feet inside and around the houses.
The beneficiaries said this forces them to move out and live in the makeshift huts. Beneficiaries Sandh Singh, Champa Sama and Bijay Tudu alleged that the government spent lakhs of rupees to provide them with permanent houses, but they have been unable to occupy them safely for nearly four years because of recurring floods. The families said they had expected the PMAY houses to provide security and dignity, but the selection of flood-prone land defeated the purpose.
Locals attributed the recurring waterlogging to lack of planning and the absence of basic protective infrastructure around the housing site.
Tirtol panchayat sarpanch Priyambada Mohapatra said elected representatives had proposed construction of a ring embankment, filling of the low-lying areas, excavation of a pond and construction of a flood shelter when the land documents were handed over to the ST families.
“None of these proposals has been implemented. Apart from electricity, a tube well and a road, no major development has taken place,” she said.
A similar situation prevails among ST families at Adibasipada under Tarajanga panchayat in Tirtol block. Of the 72 ST families residing there, six have received land documents and five have received housing assistance. Four families received houses under the erstwhile Indira Awas Yojana, while one received a PMAY house. Their houses are also waterlogged whenever the Mahanadi is in spate.
A senior revenue officer of Tirtol tehsil said the site was selected by the then tehsildar. “Shortage of government land compelled the administration to select the site after taking the consent of the ST families. However, no protective measures have been developed to prevent floodwater from entering the area,” he said.
The affected families have urged the district administration to take measures to provide them with safe and habitable shelter. Tirtol BDO Girija Shankar Mallick did not respond to calls for comment.
