Nuapada: Lack of education and awareness has cost dearly for the villagers of Sanbahali who were displaced by the Lower Indra Irrigation Project in the district.

Several villagers have allegedly invested all the amount they had received as compensation in lieu of their land in Ponzi company Vista Management Services Limited conned by its promises of high returns. The villagers are now a hapless lot with all their money gone and their houses gradually submerging.

Villager Chaouban Majhi is now running from pillar to post to seek justice after losing all his savings to the Ponzi company. Majhi, who was displaced by the Lower Indra Irrigation Project, had invested the compensation money he had received against his land in Vista Management Services Limited.

"I had deposited Rs 2 lakh in Vista Management as its officials assured me to pay Rs 60,000 every year against my investment. Now, I am neither able to construct a new house nor stay here as water is submerging the land," said Majhi.

Fellow villager Shanta Ahir has also met with the same fate after depositing her money with Vista Management.

"The government had given me Rs 4 lakh for vacating my land for the irrigation project. Officials of the finance company lured us by saying that our money would be doubled in a few years. Now, I do not have the money and cannot afford to buy another plot of land either. I have no idea where to go," she said.

Rehabilitation and resettlement officer of the irrigation project Himanchal Majhi said that the villagers had voluntarily opted for self-relocation. "Following government rules, the first instalment of the compensation amount was provided in the beginning, while the second instalment was to be paid after the villagers completed construction of a new house," Majhi said.

Nuapada additional district magistrate Sitaram Patel said that a probe committee formed by the state government to look into the matter had already visited Nuapada and found some cases of cheating allegedly committed by Ponzi company Aastha International. However, the committee reportedly had not come across any cases of cheating by Vista Management Service Limited.

"The probe committee had visited Nuapada for an investigation. We had received a list of 24 people, who were allegedly cheated by the sham financial companies. However, upon probe we found that only eight of them were eligible for compensation. All these cases were related to Ashtha International. We have not received any complaint from the commission or anyone regarding any other Ponzi company duping villagers," Patel said.