: The residents of  riverside villages under Srikona GP of THE Chandipur area are facing difficulties at several fronts  due to a breached saline embankment which occurred after last year’s Yaas cyclone.

The villagers  of  Chargochhia, Banachaka and Khandakali under Srikona GP  are not able to undertake any livelihood activities  due to saline water  ingression  into their fields during high tide in the river Budhabalanga  which is connected to the Bay of Bengal.  More than 500 families of these villages while  were eking out their livelihoods mainly through  agriculture  and shrimp farming for over a year  they are handicapped due to the breached saline embankment.

As a result  the residents  quitting their livelihoods are going outside the State to win bread for their families, reports said. After several demands for a heighted and strong embankment  by the villagers of  these villages, the Irrigation Department had begun work for stone patching  in November 2018  with an  estimated  cost of nearly Rs 1.78 crore.  Although the embankment strengthening work was completed  by July 2020, yet unfortunately due to last year cyclone Yaas, a breach occurred.

Since then the breached embankment  has not been repaired by the department even though several  high officials and  public representatives including State Ministers  visited the site. The residents alleged  that although some repair restoration works were done  by the department  in the post cyclone period yet again breaches have occurred. Regarding the issue they have vented their grievances  to concerned authorities time and again  but couldn’t get any relief. Finding no other means, the villagers have threatened to stage dharana in front of the Collectorate.