Koraput Collector Crosses Reservoir To Reach Cut-Off Villages, Launches Inclusive Development Drive

Koraput: Odisha's Koraput district administration has launched a concerted outreach initiative in the remote village of Sabun and its neighbouring areas to address the deep-rooted socio-economic challenges that have long plagued the region. The move comes nearly two months after police unearthed a clandestine ganja oil manufacturing unit in the village, bringing the remote settlement into the national spotlight, officials said on Tuesday.

District Collector Manoj Satyawan Mahajan on Monday visited the isolated villages of Sabun, Tala Sabun and Lamdur under Bilaput gram panchayat in Nandapur block, crossing the Jalaput reservoir by boat to reach the inaccessible settlements. The villages, located in the Jalabandi (cut-off) area, remain disconnected from the mainland for much of the year and have long suffered from poor connectivity, inadequate public services and limited livelihood opportunities.

The visit assumes significance as Sabun village had recently come under the national spotlight after Koraput Police busted an illegal ganja oil extraction unit there, exposing the growing nexus between remoteness, 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 revenue, agriculture, horticulture and rural development departments.

Interacting with villagers, Mahajan reviewed issues relating to agriculture, education, healthcare, road connectivity and access to government welfare schemes. He assured residents that the district administration would prepare a comprehensive development plan to improve basic infrastructure while creating sustainable livelihood opportunities in the cut-off villages.

Emphasising the need to reduce dependence on illegal cannabis cultivation, the Collector directed agriculture and horticulture officials to promote remunerative alternative crops by providing quality seeds, technical training and assured market linkages. He said improving farm incomes through legal agricultural activities would remain a priority for the administration.

Addressing the villagers, SP Rohit Verma appealed to them to abandon ganja cultivation and become partners in the district's development. He urged residents to adopt alternative income-generating activities and assured them of administrative support.

Villagers acknowledged the appeal but pointed to the harsh realities of life in the isolated region. They said the absence of reliable transport, markets and sustainable employment had forced many families to depend on ganja cultivation as their primary source of income.

Officials said the district administration would now formulate a multi-sector action plan covering connectivity, agriculture, education, healthcare and livelihood generation for the Jalabandi villages. The initiative, they said, seeks to integrate the remote settlements into the mainstream economy while addressing the conditions that have enabled illegal activities to flourish in the region.