Bhubaneswar, Dec. 1 -- Three decades of distress for farmers in Jajpur's Korei and Dharmasala regions may finally come to an end as the Odisha government has initiated restoration work on the Chhinda Kharasrota branch channel of the Kharasrota river.

The long-pending demand had left around 60,000 people across more than 50 villages struggling for livelihood, but the recent government action has sparked renewed hope among locals.

Once-fertile farmlands in Rasulpur block had gradually turned barren after embankments were constructed to prevent floods. While the embankments successfully reduced flooding, they also blocked the natural flow of water into the Kharasrota's branch channels.

"For years we watched our green fields vanish. The go...