Power boats unused, villagers in deep water

BHAWANIPATNA: Three women drowned when a boat capsized in the Indravati Reservoir in May, this year. Still people living in 51 villages around the reservoir continue to travel precariously on country boats along Hati river.This is the state of affairs despite the fact that seven power boats are lying ideal for the last three years. The boats were provided to ferry people across the villages inside Indravati Reservoir and both banks of Hati river. As a result, rough weather and windy situation often prove fatal for the local people, who have to cross the reservoir for their daily needs on country boats. If this was not enough, Hati river has been converted into a perennial water source following the implementation of Indravati project. Apart from being the main discharge canal, the surplus water of the left canal is also drained into the river. With water all year through flowing till the brim, villages of Kalampur and Junagarh blocks on either sides of river bank remain cut off from the mainland. This situation had prompted the Special Relief Commission to provide one power boat at Indravati reservoir with the Planning Department supplying another six from the fund allotted for Indravati hydro power project in 2008.  While three powers boats are meant for Biripur, Karmeli and Chilguda ghats of Hati river, the remaining four are deployed at Luthkuda, Maligaon, Odri and Talnagi inside Indravati reservoir. Absence of trained drivers has reportedly rendered them useless. The district administration recently took up the matter with Special Relief Commissioner Orissa asking for drivers to run the idle power boats and training for locals to make things easier for them. However, it is yet to respond to their request.