District Collector Conducts Inspection of Turi–Gunthat Irrigation Project, Reviews Progress and Emphasizes Timely Completion

Nabarangpur, April 30: District Collector Maheshwar Swain conducted a field visit and review of the Turi–Gunthat Medium Irrigation Project.
During the visit, he held discussions with Tahasildar Bhuleshwar Nayak regarding agricultural land likely to be affected by the project. The irrigation project aims to construct two barrages across the Turi and Gunthat rivers to provide irrigation to 9,135 hectares of farmland.
In the first phase, ₹106 crore has been sanctioned for the construction of the two barrages. The total estimated cost of the project is around ₹577 crore. Additionally, due to insufficient water availability at Gunthat near Bikrampur, a 5-kilometre canal will be constructed to bring water from Turi near Chhatihandi.
To store water in both barrages, around 574 acres of land from seven villages will be acquired. Recently, farmers whose lands are likely to be affected submitted a memorandum to the District Collector.
Collector Swain appealed to farmers to cooperate and voluntarily give up land for this public welfare project. He also assured them that proper compensation would be provided and explained the process in detail.
The Collector stated that the administration is making efforts to implement this ambitious project, which traces back to recommendations made by the Hirakud Commission about 40 years ago. However, farmers facing displacement due to land acquisition have expressed concerns over the project.