Sambalpur, September 9: Residents of Balibandha, Ramji Mandir and Ghunaghutipada on Thursday staged ‘Jal Satyagrah’ in Mahanadi river at Balibandha Ghat protesting displacement for carrying out the Samaleswari Temple Area Management and Local Economy Initiatives (SAMALEI) scheme by the State Government.
Earlier, the residents of these areas, including the inhabitants of Ghunghutipara, a 400-year-old slum near Samaleswari temple staged demonstrations opposing the project. The slum residents are still up in arms against the beautification project.
The agitators demanded that the Government officials should clarify how many acres of land will be acquired for implementation of the project and the number of families to be displaced.
Eviction drive for the project started from July 31 this year. While a number of Government quarters near the temple are being demolished in the first phase, house and shop owners of different localities are apprehensive of being displaced due to the project, affecting their livelihood.
