Rourkela: The Brahmani Banchao Sangathan staged a protest in front of the Rourkela Municipal Corporation (RMC), demanding immediate steps by the government to improve the condition of the river.
Several locals and intellectuals of the Steel City also joined the mass protest demanding steps to clean the river.
The protesters opposed the Brahmani Srotaswani Mohastav, which is being organised by the Rourkela Smart City authorities. They alleged that the authorities have been extorting taxes from the public and using it for organising such events, instead of cleaning the river.
The efforts to make Rourkela a clean, plastic-free city were also stopped midway, they alleged.
“The RMC authorities raided small vendors and shopkeepers who were using plastic and polythene bags. However, the authorities took bribes from plastic wholesalers and traders and the anti-plastic drive was stopped,” said the convener of Rourkela Jami Adhikar Manch.
Similarly, Biren Senapati, a former councillor, alleged that before the Steel City got the smart city tag people were living in peace, but now they are inhaling dust and smoke and suffering from bumpy roads and frequent power outages.
The residents of the city do not have basic facilities like clean drinking water, Senapati added.
“The city’s residents would have welcomed the steps taken by the Smart City authority if it had spent the money on development projects. However, they are spending crores on cultural programmes,” said Ramesh Bal, president of the Rourkela Bar Association.
At present, Brahmani is facing water shortage. The situation is grimmer in the 60-km stretch between Kantabandha and Kaipada as the river has almost dried up due to sand accumulation.
The association has demanded the cleaning of the riverbed from Kantabandha and Kaipada and ensuring the Jokadia Barrage on the river functioned. It also demanded to raise the height of the barrage by three metres, so that the river gets enough water.
The shortage of water has affected nearly four lakh people living in the 80 panchayats of Jajpur district’s four blocks.
The river flows 400 km before it enters the Bay of Bengal at Chandbali. The catchment area of the river is 22,000 sq.km and it receives a rainfall of 1,200 mm to 1,600 mm annually.
The Brahmani Banchao Sangathan protesters threatened to intensify their agitation against the RMC authorities if their demands were not met.
PNN
