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The promise of a bridge to development in Odisha’s Kalahandi

March 05, 2026 5 min read Social Issues Geography GS1 (Geography Social Issues) GS2 (Governance Welfare)
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What Happened

  • Tribal and Dalit families stranded on a landmass within the Indravati reservoir in Kalahandi district, Odisha, have been promised a new bridge for connectivity
  • Five panchayats — Podapadar, Maligaon, Gopinathpur, Adri, and Talanagi — remain waterlocked by the Indravati reservoir, cut off from basic services
  • These communities have no healthcare centre, functional roads, or market access; patients in medical emergencies, including childbirth, must be transported by country boats across the reservoir
  • Residents currently travel approximately 15 km to Tentulikhunti in neighbouring Nabarangpur district for essential goods and services
  • The bridge would connect the cut-off areas to Kenduguda ghat, providing year-round road access
  • The communities were displaced decades ago for the Upper Indravati Project but remain inadequately rehabilitated

Static Topic Bridges

Upper Indravati Multipurpose Project — Dam Displacement and Tribal Rights

The Upper Indravati Project is a multipurpose river dam project in Odisha, initiated in 1978 with World Bank financial assistance. Located at the trijunction of Koraput, Nabarangpur, and Kalahandi districts, the project created a combined reservoir of 110 sq km through 4 dams and 8 dykes. It was designed to irrigate 109,300 hectares and generate 600 MW of hydroelectric power.

  • Project initiation: 1978; financial assistance from The World Bank
  • Reservoir area: 110 sq km across Koraput, Nabarangpur, and Kalahandi districts
  • Displacement: approximately 5,477 families from 97 villages displaced between 1989 and 1992; 65 villages fully submerged, 32 partially affected
  • Tribal displacement: 42.3% of displaced families were tribal (approximately 2,260 tribal families)
  • NHRC intervention: The National Human Rights Commission took note of the plight of displaced families and directed the Odisha government to prepare a comprehensive rehabilitation study
  • Activist Radhakanta Tripathy's petition claimed approximately 1 lakh people from 100+ villages in four districts remain in the cut-off area
  • The project has transformed southern Kalahandi's agriculture (two crops per year), but the cut-off communities have not benefited equitably

Connection to this news: The promised bridge is a direct response to the development deficit faced by communities displaced and waterlocked by the Upper Indravati reservoir — a displacement that occurred over three decades ago with inadequate rehabilitation.

PESA Act, 1996 and Fifth Schedule — Tribal Self-Governance

The Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA) extends Part IX of the Constitution to the Scheduled Areas identified under the Fifth Schedule. PESA empowers Gram Sabhas in these areas with significant powers over natural resources, land alienation, and development planning. Kalahandi district contains areas under the Fifth Schedule, making PESA applicable.

  • PESA enacted: 24 December 1996; extends Panchayati Raj to Fifth Schedule areas with modifications
  • Applicable in 10 states: Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Rajasthan
  • Gram Sabha powers under PESA: identification of development beneficiaries, ownership of minor forest produce, prevention of land alienation, management of village markets, control over money lending, consultation before land acquisition
  • Fifth Schedule (Article 244(1)): Provides for administration of Scheduled Areas in states other than the six northeastern states covered by the Sixth Schedule
  • Tribes Advisory Council (TAC): Mandatory in states with Scheduled Areas; advises Governor on tribal welfare; Governor has special powers under Fifth Schedule to direct non-application of parliamentary/state laws
  • Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006: Recognises individual forest rights (IFR) and community forest rights (CFR) of forest-dwelling tribals; complementary to PESA
  • PESA requires Gram Sabha consultation before land acquisition for development projects — a provision directly relevant to dam-displaced communities

Connection to this news: The waterlocked tribal communities in Kalahandi's Scheduled Areas should theoretically benefit from PESA's empowerment provisions, including mandatory Gram Sabha consultation on development projects. The decades-long neglect highlights the implementation gap between PESA's intent and ground reality.

Development-Induced Displacement and Rehabilitation Policy in India

India has displaced an estimated 60 million people through development projects since independence (dams, mines, industries, infrastructure), with tribals disproportionately affected despite constituting only 8.6% of the population. The legal framework for rehabilitation has evolved from ad hoc project-specific policies to a national framework.

  • Estimated displacement: ~60 million since 1947; tribals account for approximately 40% of displaced persons despite being only 8.6% of population
  • National Policy on Rehabilitation and Resettlement (NPRR), 2007: First national policy; non-statutory
  • Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act (LARR Act), 2013: Replaced the colonial Land Acquisition Act, 1894
  • Mandatory Social Impact Assessment (SIA) before acquisition
  • Consent requirement: 80% of landowners for private projects; 70% for PPP projects
  • Compensation: minimum 2x market value in urban areas; 4x in rural areas
  • R&R entitlements include housing, employment, annuity, and land-for-land options
  • Article 46 (DPSP): State shall promote educational and economic interests of SCs, STs, and weaker sections
  • Supreme Court in Narmada Bachao Andolan v. Union of India (2000): Upheld Sardar Sarovar Dam construction but mandated rehabilitation of all displaced persons before submergence of their villages

Connection to this news: The Upper Indravati displacement predates the LARR Act, 2013, and the families were displaced under the older Land Acquisition Act, 1894, which had minimal R&R provisions. The decades of neglect underscore why the 2013 Act introduced mandatory rehabilitation timelines and stronger entitlements.

Key Facts & Data

  • Upper Indravati Project: Initiated 1978; 110 sq km reservoir; 600 MW hydropower capacity; irrigates 109,300 hectares
  • Displacement: ~5,477 families from 97 villages; 42.3% tribal; 65 villages fully submerged
  • Cut-off panchayats: 5 (Podapadar, Maligaon, Gopinathpur, Adri, Talanagi) — no healthcare, roads, or market access
  • PESA Act: 1996; applicable in 10 states including Odisha; empowers Gram Sabhas in Fifth Schedule areas
  • LARR Act, 2013: Replaced Land Acquisition Act, 1894; mandatory SIA, consent, and 4x compensation in rural areas
  • Tribals: ~8.6% of India's population but account for ~40% of development-displaced persons
  • NHRC directed Odisha government to prepare comprehensive rehabilitation study for Indravati displaced families
  • Kalahandi district: One of Odisha's historically underdeveloped districts; formerly associated with hunger and poverty (1980s-90s starvation deaths)