BJD threatens stir over Polavaram project, raises question on CM's silence

Bhubaneswar, Jan 9 (PTI) Calling the BJP government in Odisha "insensitive" towards the plights of tribals in Malkangiri district, the BJD on Friday threatened to hit the streets if Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi did not resolve the Polavaram issue with Andhra Pradesh immediately.

Addressing a press conference, BJD senior vice-president Debi Prasad Mishra, along with party MP Subhashish Khuntia, MLA Manohar Randhari and media coordinator Priyabrata Majhi, said that livelihood of thousands of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) families will be in danger once the Polavaram Project is completed.

"Hundreds of villages in Malkangiri district will be submerged. We hope that Odisha's tribal chief minister should intervene immediately for the cause of tribals of Odisha," Mishra said, adding that Odisha's objection over the Polavaram project have been clearly ignored both by the Centre and the Andhra Pradesh government.

The BJD leaders alleged that the project is being built violating different laws under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Central Water Commission.

Mishra alleged that as per the Godavari Water Dispute Tribunal (GWDT), the flood discharge capacity of Polavaram project was 36 lakh cusecs, the dam height was 140 feet, and the maximum flood discharge level was 150 feet. The maximum submergence level at Konta point was 174.22 feet, where the Saberi and Sileru rivers converge.

"However, in 2006, the project was unilaterally revised to 50 lakh cusecs without consultation with the affected states, including Odisha, regarding its impact on submergence levels," the BJD leader said.

"The chief minister has remained completely silent on the issue. In the last 18 months, how many letters has he written to the Union Ministers for Water Resources, Tribal Affairs, and Environment, Forest and Climate Change, or to the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh and the Prime Minister of India?" asked Priyabrata Majhi.

He alleged that the BJP government is shedding crocodile tears for the development of tribals while ignoring their real suffering.

"If the double-engine government fails to resolve the issues affecting the tribals and people of Malkangiri, the Biju Janata Dal will be compelled to take to the streets to fight for their rights and justice," he said. PTI AAM AAM RG