Cuttack, Nov. 4: Orissa High Court has ordered an administrative inquiry into the alleged non-payment of compensation for farmlands that were submerged by the construction of a reservoir under an irrigation project nearly 19 years ago.

The court ordered the inquiry after the state government failed to respond despite a notice being issued 16 years ago following a petition filed by residents of Banjari in Balangir district, seeking direction for compensation for the submerged agricultural land plots, which were their source of livelihood.

While disposing of the petition on the basis of material available on record, the court asked Balangir's land acquisition officer to first identify the farmlands submerged because of the Bijarakata minor irrigation project and then ascertain the veracity of the ownership claims made by the people in the petition.

"If the findings of the inquiry are affirmative, he shall calculate the amount of compensation and submit a report to the secretary of the irrigation and water resources departments (Odisha), who shall immediately make available the appropriate fund for disbursement," a division bench of Justice Sanju Panda and Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad said in its October 28 order.

The court directed that the "exercise should be completed within 12 weeks".

According to the petition, the irrigation and water resources department decided to construct the Bijarakati minor irrigation project in Banjari, the plan for which was approved in 1993-94. The project itself was completed in 1997. Because of the construction at Banjari, privately-owned agricultural lands were submerged in the reservoir. The owners of these lands, measuring about 10-11 acres, were not able to cultivate them and earn their livelihood as a result, the petition said.

The people of Banjari had approached the competent authority for compensation in September 1997. But no decision has been taken on the issue till date.

After the petition was filed, the high court had issued a notice to the state government on November 8, 2000.

The case had since languished among paperwork till it came up again on October 28. It was then found that the state government had not responded to the notice in all these years.