Bhubaneswar: Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has sought clarification from the BJP-led central government and Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on the Polavaram dam project in Andhra Pradesh and pledged support for a mass protest against it February 28.
According to BJD’s coordination and activities committee chairman Debi Prasad Mishra, “The affected people of Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh have planned to launch a major agitation against the Polavaram project at Motu in Malkangiri district under the banner of the Polavaram Joint Coordination Committee and the BJD is a part of it.”
Mishra claimed that the project would affect the tribal communities of Odisha in Malkangiri and also the inhabitants of Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh.
He said the committee invited BJD president and former chief minister Naveen Patnaik to attend the proposed rally at Motu February 28.
“No decision has been taken yet on Patnaik’s visit, but if he is unable to go, the BJD president will address the gathering virtually,” Mishra told PTI.
The BJD has extended support to the agitation against the Polavaram dam project being undertaken by Andhra Pradesh, as the project is expected to have a severe impact on the people of Motu and Padia blocks in Malkangiri district.
Party leaders alleged that as many as 12 gram panchayats in these areas would be submerged in the backwaters of the project.
Asked about BJD’s stance, Mishra said, “Patnaik has been opposing the project since 2007 after learning that the dam’s design was altered without considering the interests of the tribal communities. Now that the BJP government has sanctioned about Rs 17,000 crore in two phases for the project’s completion, the BJD is compelled to raise its voice against it.”
He questioned, “How can the project proceed despite violating multiple norms set by the Central Water Commission (CWC), the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEFCC), and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MOTA)?”
Clarifying BJD’s position, Mishra said, “We are not opposed to the dam project itself, but to the changes made in its original design. The current construction is based on a water discharge capacity of 50 lakh cusecs, whereas the agreed capacity was 36 lakh cusecs.”
He also expressed surprise over the silence of the Odisha government and the 22 BJP MPs from the state.
BJD leader Bhrugu Baxipatra alleged that the BJP governments at the Centre and in Odisha were deliberately remaining silent on the project to appease Andhra Pradesh, as the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) is an NDA ally.
Meanwhile, the Congress, despite also opposing the project, has decided not to participate in the February 28 demonstration.
Congress Legislative Party leader Ramachandra Kadam said, “We are against the project and will stage protests on the streets, but not alongside the BJD. Naveen Patnaik did nothing to stop Polavaram during his 24-year tenure as chief minister. Now, after losing power, he is making meaningless noise.”
Kadam also demanded a response from Majhi, questioning his silence on the issue.
“We have a tribal chief minister, yet many tribal villages will be submerged by the Polavaram project. Majhi should publicly clarify whether he stands with Odisha’s tribals or is following Modi’s appeasement policy,” he said.
PTI