Bhubaneswar, July 7 -- A standoff has intensified between tribal residents of Kumiapali village and local authorities over the Lower Suktel Irrigation Project in Odisha's Bolangir. The government plans to fill the reservoir to its full capacity this year and release water for agricultural use in September.

However, 84 tribal families are refusing to vacate their homes until their 10-point charter of demands is met.

The filling of the reservoir, considered crucial for the Bolangir district, will allegedly submerge Kumiapali. While the majority of residents have already relocated, the remaining families claim that essential services in the village have been completely neglected for years.

"We were a village of 240 families, but now only ...