Odisha MLAs to discuss Polavaram dam with PM
S T Beuria BHUBANESWAR: Dec 24, 2015, DHNS
A house committee of the Odisha Assembly would soon be meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the controversial Polavaram project in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.
If sources are to be believed, the Assembly secretariat has already sent a letter in this regard requesting the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to fix an appointment. The committee would be headed by the Speaker Niranjan Pujari.
The multi-purpose project has triggered a row in the state since the announced in Parliament recently that the project will be fully funded by the Centre. The move has upset the Naveen Patnaik-led ruling Biju Janata Dal(BJD) which has long been fighting tooth and nail to halt the project to safeguard Odisha’s interest.
Though the house committee is an all-party one, it is doubtful whether the Congress, the principal opposition, would be a part the delegation. The five Congress member in the committee had resigned from the panel alleging the BJD was politicising the issue.
Following the Congress’ decision, the three BJP members also decided to boycott the panel proceedings in future.
However, according to sources, Speaker Pujari would soon be meeting the Congress and BJP members for the greater interest of the state. The Assembly secretariat has also prepared a memorandum which will be presented to the PM.
Nearly 70,000 people in southern Odisha Malkangiri district, majority of them tribals, would be affected by the project, if implemented in the present form.
It would completely submerge 25 human habitations including 15 revenue villages. More importantly, as many as 7,656 hectares of land, including 2046.36 hectares of agriculture land and 3469.03 hectares of reserve forest would be submerged after the implementation of the project. Apart from Odisha, the controversial project is also opposed by neighbouring states of Chhattisgarh and Telangana.
If sources are to be believed, the Assembly secretariat has already sent a letter in this regard requesting the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to fix an appointment. The committee would be headed by the Speaker Niranjan Pujari.
The multi-purpose project has triggered a row in the state since the announced in Parliament recently that the project will be fully funded by the Centre. The move has upset the Naveen Patnaik-led ruling Biju Janata Dal(BJD) which has long been fighting tooth and nail to halt the project to safeguard Odisha’s interest.
Though the house committee is an all-party one, it is doubtful whether the Congress, the principal opposition, would be a part the delegation. The five Congress member in the committee had resigned from the panel alleging the BJD was politicising the issue.
Following the Congress’ decision, the three BJP members also decided to boycott the panel proceedings in future.
However, according to sources, Speaker Pujari would soon be meeting the Congress and BJP members for the greater interest of the state. The Assembly secretariat has also prepared a memorandum which will be presented to the PM.
Nearly 70,000 people in southern Odisha Malkangiri district, majority of them tribals, would be affected by the project, if implemented in the present form.
It would completely submerge 25 human habitations including 15 revenue villages. More importantly, as many as 7,656 hectares of land, including 2046.36 hectares of agriculture land and 3469.03 hectares of reserve forest would be submerged after the implementation of the project. Apart from Odisha, the controversial project is also opposed by neighbouring states of Chhattisgarh and Telangana.
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