Public Hearing Held for Proposed Railway Overbridge in Sakhigopal
Sakhigopal, 29.02.2024 (Singhari Alok Khuntia):
The process has begun for the long-awaited construction of a railway overbridge in the middle of the Sakhigopal market. As part of this process, a public hearing was conducted involving local business owners and residents whose properties or livelihoods may be affected due to land acquisition.
The hearing was held at two separate locations under the Satyabadi Tehsil in Puri district—specifically for Penthapada Gram Panchayat and Jayapur Gram Panchayat. The public hearing for Penthapada was conducted at 11 AM at the Gram Panchayat office, while for Jayapur, it was held at 3 PM near Batamahavir Temple at the Satyabadi Block Square.
The meeting was presided over by Additional District Magistrate Kailash Chandra Nayak, who stated that once the project is implemented, it would significantly ease transportation and communication issues in the Satyabadi region. A total of 145 affected individuals from Penthapada and 40 individuals from Jayapur attended the hearings.
Key officials present at the hearing included Land Acquisition Officer Niranjan Barik, Group Development Officer Lipsa Ray, Additional Tehsildar Priyadarshi Rajesh, and Assistant Executive Engineer Manas Mallik.
Representatives from the authorized agency Life Academy of Vocational Studies (LAVS), appointed by Nabakrushna Choudhury Centre for Development Studies, presented the Social Impact Assessment (SIA) report during the session.
Opinions on the report were shared by Chinmaya Raut, Sarpanch of Penthapada, and Smt. Aradhana Samantray, Sarpanch of Jayapur. They demanded that fair compensation be provided to all affected individuals to ensure smooth execution of the project.
While the general public and servitors of the Sakhigopal Temple welcomed the project, some business owners insisted that proper compensation and rehabilitation arrangements be made before eviction or displacement takes place.
