Cuttack: Activists of Mahanadi Bachao Andolan Saturday held a ‘Jal Satyagraha’ in Mahanadi river near Jobra barrage here to highlight their demands.
Activists of the outfit claimed that the Mahanadi Water Dispute Tribunal, which was scheduled to hear a case over sharing of Mahanadi water Saturday, has postponed the same to May 8 by accepting a plea from Chhattisgarh.
They urged the tribunal to pronounce an interim order and ask Chhattisgarh to open the gates of Kalma barrage and ensure uninterrupted water flow in Mahanadi.
The outfit also sought a whitepaper on Green Mahanadi Mission from the state government. The mission had been launched to plant at least 2 crore saplings along Mahanadi and its distributaries, outfit sources said.
The outfit also pleaded for construction of a few new barrages on Mahanadi in Odisha and concrete steps to conserve the river water.
“The state government should take immediate steps to remove encroachments from Mahanadi riverbank and check water pollution in the lifeline of Odisha,” the outfit said.