Odisha Congress to call for shutdown on Mahanadi issue

The Congress will call for a statewide shutdown over the Mahanadi river issue, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) President Niranjan Patnaik said on Saturday.

He said a decision on the date of the Odisha shutdown will be taken after discussions with like-minded political parties and other organisations.

He alleged that both the Centre and the state government do not have any concern for the people of Odisha and are shedding crocodile tears on the Mahanadi water crisis.

Patnaik said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi refrained from giving any assurance to Odisha to resolve the dispute with Chhattisgarh during his recent visit to Cuttack.

Besides, the Odisha government did nothing to protect the interests of the people of the state till 2015 and is now shedding crocodile tears, he added.

As many as 29 companies had signed memorandums of understanding with the Odisha government for the establishment of industries. But some of them have now turned to Chhattisgarh, said Patnaik.

He said barrages have been constructed by the Chhattisgarh government on the Mahanadi river to supply water to these projects.

The Congress has also called for a six-hour 'Chaka bandh' from 6 a.m. on June 4 in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack against the fuel price hike.

"We request the people of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack not to use their vehicles on June 4 from 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. as a mark of protest against the unprecedented rise in prices of petrol, diesel and LPG by the BJP-led NDA Government at the Centre," said the OPCC president.

--IANS

cd/qd/bg