Bhubaneswar: More than 60 families evicted from Salia Sahi in Bhubaneswar have been living in the open for several days after reportedly failing to receive the houses promised to them under the Buddha Vihar rehabilitation project.

The eviction was carried out as part of a major drive to clear Salia Sahi for the construction of a planned 200-foot parallel road from Ekamra Kanan to the IMA building. A total of 556 identified houses were demolished, and nearly 12 acres of land were reclaimed for the road project. Officials had assured that eligible families would be relocated to newly built houses at Buddha Vihar.

According to residents, a survey was conducted, and lists were prepared under the Rajiv Awas Yojana and Usha Survey. However, many were not included, and some discovered only on eviction day that their houses were marked for demolition. Those left out of the official list have not been allotted homes.

Several families living on roadside

Several families have been living on the roadside outside the Buddha Vihar project site for the last seven days. They say officials brought them to the location after the demolition, but did not provide shelter or send them to transit houses. With winter setting in, they are spending nights under the open sky along with their belongings.

Sahadev Patra, who lived in Salia Sahi with his parents for 30 years, said his name was not on the eviction list. He was informed at the last moment that his house would be demolished. After the eviction, he and his family were dropped near the Buddha Vihar project, where they have been waiting for a week without a home.

A similar situation unfolded for three families evicted from Behera Basti under Ward 15. Two of them were brought to Buddha Vihar and left outside the project site. Residents Anam Parida, his wife Sasmita, and another couple, Pramod Kumar Satpathy and Banalata Satpathy, said they were told they would receive houses, but two days have passed without any response from officials. They continue to live outside in the cold with their children, vulnerable to mosquito bites and harsh weather.

Affected families urge authorities to intervene

The affected families allege that while promises of rehabilitation are being repeated, no concrete action has followed. They urged authorities to intervene immediately and provide the houses they were assured, as their situation worsens with each passing day.