Across the reservoir, a development mission: Koraput Collector visits cut-off villages
By Suryanarayan Panda
Koraput, July 14: In an effort to wean remote villages away from illegal cannabis cultivation through sustainable development, the Koraput district administration has launched a focused outreach initiative in Sabun and neighbouring cut-off villages, nearly two months after police busted a clandestine ganja oil manufacturing unit in the area.
District Collector Manoj Satyawan Mahajan on Monday crossed the Jalaput Reservoir by boat to visit the isolated villages of Sabun, Tala Sabun and Lamdur under Bilaput gram panchayat in Nandapur block. Located in the Jalabandi (cut-off) area, these villages remain disconnected from the mainland for much of the year and continue to grapple with poor connectivity, inadequate public services and limited livelihood opportunities.
The visit follows the high-profile police crackdown in Sabun, where an illegal ganja oil extraction unit was unearthed, bringing the remote settlement into the national spotlight and underscoring the link between economic deprivation and illicit cannabis cultivation.
The Collector was accompanied by Superintendent of Police Rohit Verma, Chief Development Officer-cum-Executive Officer of the Zilla Parishad Benudhar Sabar, and senior officials from the agriculture, horticulture, revenue and rural development departments.
Interacting with villagers, Mahajan reviewed issues related to agriculture, healthcare, education, road connectivity and access to government welfare schemes. He assured residents that the administration would prepare a comprehensive development plan to improve infrastructure and create sustainable livelihood opportunities.
To reduce dependence on cannabis cultivation, the Collector directed agriculture and horticulture officials to promote remunerative alternative crops through quality seeds, technical training and market linkages. He stressed that enhancing farmers’ incomes through legal agricultural activities would be a key priority.
SP Rohit Verma appealed to villagers to give up ganja cultivation and adopt alternative livelihoods. Residents, while welcoming the administration’s initiative, said the lack of roads, markets and employment opportunities had left many families with little choice but to depend on cannabis cultivation.
Officials said a multi-sector development plan covering connectivity, agriculture, education, healthcare and livelihood generation would soon be implemented to integrate the Jalabandi villages into the development mainstream and address the socio-economic conditions that have fuelled illegal activities.
Photograph: Odisha’s Koraput District Collector Manoj Satyawan Mahajan (third from left), accompanied by senior district officials, crosses the Jalaput Reservoir by boat to reach cut-off villages as part of an outreach initiative aimed at promoting inclusive development.
