A BJD delegation led by Debi Mishra along with party MPs of Rajya Sabha, MLAs, Ex Ministers of Govt of Odisha, Ex MPs, and MLAs from the Malkangiri and Koraput Region, with the direction of BJD President Naveen Patnaik, met Union Cabinet Minister for Jal Shakti, C R Patil and presented the pressing concerns of Odisha, particularly the Malkangiri District, regarding the potential submergence of large areas due to the construction of the Polavaram Project in Andhra Pradesh.
The implications of this project for the lives and livelihoods of thousands of tribal people, especially those from vulnerable and primitive tribes in Malkangiri, require urgent attention and remedial action.
The Government of India’s recent sanction of Rs. 15,000 crores for the completion of the Polavaram Project has escalated the concerns of Odisha, as it impacts the land, livelihood, and safety of our local communities most
of whom are tribals.
This project was conceived under the resolution of the Godavari Water Dispute Tribunal (GWDT), which outlined agreements between Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Madhya Pradesh. However, significant changes have been made to the original design flood discharge capacity, increasing the flood discharge from 36 lakh cusecs to 50 lakh cusecs, without sufficient consideration of the backwater impact in the upstream states of Odisha and Chhattisgarh.
This shift has caused apprehensions among the affected populations of Malkangiri, who are at risk of losing their lands and homes.
The BJD Delegation included Debi Prasad Mishra, Ex Cabinet Minister, Govt of Odisha, Rajya Sabha MPs-Dr Sasmit Patra, Debashish Samantaray, Manas Mangaraj, Sulata Deo, Muzibulla Khan, Niranjan Bishi, Subhashish
Khuntia, Ramesh Chandra Majhi, Ex-Minister Pradeep Majhi, Ex-MP, Lok Sabha, Manohar Randhari, MLA, Odisha Legislative Assembly, Dr. Priyabrata Majhi, Media Coordinator, Biju Janata Dal, Bhrugu Bauxipatra, Spokesperson, Biju Janata Dal, Manas Madakami, Ex-MLA, Odisha Legislative Assembly.
