Berhampur: A 40-year-old rehabilitation and resettlement dispute involving 1,371 families of Nua Golabandha, a predominantly fishing village in Ganjam district, is likely to be resolved on Thursday, with chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi expected to announce a special package for the displaced families.Sources said the state govt has prepared a Rs 75.6-crore package covering compensation for affected families and development of infrastructure at the rehabilitation colony. The announcement is expected at a programme near Dhabaleswar temple.The 25-acre coastal village was acquired for the Army Air Defence College, established near Golabandha in 1984. However, residents refused to relocate for decades, demanding adequate compensation and rehabilitation facilities.Following recent discussions between district authorities and villagers, facilitated by transport minister Bibhuti Bhusan Jena, the govt agreed in-principle to provide Rs 5 lakh to each displaced family. The rehabilitation colony at Kirtipur, around 3 km from the village, would also be equipped with necessary infrastructure.Surveys conducted jointly by defence and revenue authorities recorded 857 families in the village in 2003 and 1,008 in 2010. The number has since risen to 1,371, sources said. Many houses in the village were damaged during Cyclone Phailin in 2013.The govt had earlier built 1,008 houses at Kirtipur under Odisha Disaster Recovery Project (ODRP), but relocation remained stalled as villagers sought enhanced compensation and better facilities at the site. “We have agreed to shift after the govt assured us of Rs 5 lakh for each displaced family and other amenities in the colony,” said B Dillesh Rao, president of the village committee.“It may take around a year for families to move after housing and related works are completed,” said committee secretary K Madheya.According to villagers, the govt has also agreed to provide roads, streetlights, drinking water facilities, an anganwadi centre and a fish landing centre in the new settlement.Berhampur MP Pradeep Kumar Panigrahy thanked the chief minister for taking steps to resolve the long-pending issue.
