Dispute brings Morana project to a standstill

The Morana Reservoir Project in Rideemaliyadda in the Badulla district has been stalled for about three weeks because of a dispute between the villagers and project officials.

The proposed reservoir project at an estimated cost of Rs.1,700 million would be built with a dam across the Ulhitiyaoya River and help irrigate about 2,000 acres of paddy and supply drinking water to a large population. The expected capacity of the project is 15,000 acre feet.

Residents said more than 200 families have been subjected to serious injustices due to the failure of the authorities to pay compensation for their land and property acquired for the project and to provide them alternate land to live. They said more than three years had elapsed since the project was inaugurated, but the authorities failed to look into the concerns of those displaced under the project. This has led to a dispute between officials and affected villagers bringing the project to a halt. The villagers pointed out that their cultivated land had been ruined by sand mining for the project.

They said they had to hire a bus by paying Rs.6,000 to travel to the Mahiyangana police when the officials’complaints against them were being inquired into. They had to raise loans to pay the hire. The villagers pointed out that authorities who failed to provide relief to the individuals who lost their land and property were now harassing them. They requested the government to intervene and settle the dispute or else the project would end up in failure.