BJD MLAs disrupt assembly over Polavaram project

12 hr hartal hits normal life in undivided Koraput region

The legislators of the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) today disrupted proceedings in the state assembly, voicing their protest against the contentious Polavaram multi-purpose irrigation project in Seemandhra which is expected to submerge large tracts of land in the state. In parallel, the party observed a dawn-to-dusk hartal in undivided Koraput region against the project.Soon after the house started to transact business, the treasury bench members waved placards mentioning ‘Stop Polavaram’. Opposing the Bill passed by the Parliament on Polavaram project last week, the BJD MLAs rushed to the well of the house and demanded scrapping of the project.

Later, they staged a walkout from the house and met Governor S C Jamir to present their memorandum addressed to President, Pranab Mukherjee.

“The central government is conspiring against Odisha by trying to construct Polavaram project which would submerge many villages in the state. The BJD is stiffly objecting such a move”, said state law minister Arun Sahu.Senior BJD leader and state industries minister, Debi Prasad Mishra said, "It appears that the NDA government has no respect for the federal structure in the country. How can the NDA government pass a bill in Lok Sabha when three other states are opposing it ?"

“It is to bring to your kind attention that the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization (Amendment) Bill which was passed in the Lok Sabha on July 11 would pave the way for construction of the Polavaram project over the river Godavari in Andhra Pradesh. In the said Bill, the proposed dam’s height was increased arbitrarily without taking the Odisha government into confidence which violates the Godavari Water Dispute Tribunal (GWDT) award and not conforming to national standards/norms.

The clearances were given to the Polavaram project by the Central Water Commission (CWC) without examining whether the project is in accordance with the GWDT award and without thorough technical scrutiny of the project report”, the memorandum stated.Touching on legal issues of the Polavaram project, the memorandum said the Odisha government had filed a suit in the Supreme Court in October 2007 to declare the environmental clearance of the Ministry of environment & forests (MoEF) dated October 25, 2005 and  also the R&R (rehabilitation and resettlement) clearance given by Ministry of tribal affairs as null and void. Further, the memorandum said no public hearing was conducted in affected Malkangiri district in Odisha and instead, the hearing was conducted in Khammam district in Andhra Pradesh.

In the memorandum, the BJD MLAs appealed to the Governor to urge the Government of India to consider the genuine grievances of Odisha and have a re-look at the project design in order to avoid the submergence of large areas of the state.Leader of Opposition Narsingha Mishra, however, flayed the ruling party MLAs for disrupting the house proceedings. The house was adjourned to avoid discussion on an adjournment motion, he said.Meanwhile, the 12-hour hartal in the southern districts of Nabarangpur, Koraput, Malkangiri and Rayagada, organised by local BJD units to protest the Polavaram project, disrupted vehicular traffic and also impacted business establishments.