Violent protest by local residents at Indurmati village
Jamshedpur : In view of recent protest by the residents against a section of Subernarekha Multi-purpose Project (SMP) officials at Indurmati village under MGM police station area, the SMP authorities have sought the senior superintendent of police, East Singhbhum to deploy para-military forces, CRPF, at Indurmati village.
Officials of SMP officials said that they have decided not to go to the site for resuming the work unless they are provided with adequate security cover.
The local residents had staged a violent protest demanding compensation to those villagers whose landed properties and house had been acquired by the Land Acquisition Department for the project.
The villagers had already received compensation for the land acquired by the government, but 15 residents among the villagers who have lost their houses also during the acquisition, had not been compensated. Therefore, the residents of Indurmati village had been agitating for making the state government to pay compensation or get the displaced persons rehabilitated since 2003.
Officer-in-charge, MGM police station, Ratibhushan Singh said that they have already registered against a case against the accused villagers on the basis on the complaint.
Senior SP, Richard Lakra, when contacted, said ” We are keeping a close eye on the development and will make arrest of the accused persons for disturbing the government project,” said Lakra, adding that they would shortly make deployment of forces for resumption of work.
The SMP, started in 1978, envisaged the construction of two dams, one at Chandil across the River Subarnarekha and the other across the River Kharkai at Icha near Chaibasa, two barrages at Galudih across the Subarnarekha and the other across the Kharkai at Ganjia in Seraikela and a network of canals from these.
The multipurpose project was planned for irrigation, hydropower generation and water supply. While the Chandil dam and Galudih barrage are almost complete, the other components are still incomplete.