A long-standing desire of the people displaced by the Hirakud Dam over the Mahanadi River in the Sambalpur area will soon be met by the Odisha government. People displaced by the project will receive ten decimals of land from the government, Odisha Revenue Minister Suresh Pujari said on Sunday.
By December 31 of this year, each family would receive a lease for ten decimals of land, according to Pujari. As part of the Hirakud Embankment Scheme, the displaced people will receive the land leases.
It is important to note that for the past 70 years, the families affected by the Hirakud embankment project have been demanding rehabilitation after losing everything and giving up their property. Just 4,400 of the impacted families have received loans thus far.