PM must admit failure to halt dam building on Mahanadi: Cong

The Odisha Congress today asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to accept the Centre's "inability" to halt construction of dams over river Mahanadi by Chhattisgarh.

"The prime minister must admit that Chhattisgarh was wrong in unilaterally constructing dams and barrages over river Mahanadi without Odisha's consent," Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Niranjan Patnaik told reporters here.

Hitting out at Modi ahead of his scheduled public meeting at the Bali Jatra ground on the banks of the river in Cuttack on May 26, Patnaik said the PM should apologise for "illegal and arbitrary" actions of the Chhattisgarh government in blocking free flow of the Mahanadi into Odisha.

"The prime minister should call a spade a spade and categorically sanction Chhattisgarh for wrongdoing. Let the PM not play partisan politics," he said, accusing Modi of having remained a "silent spectator" to the construction activities by BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh.

Patnaik said Modi should announce at his public meeting that all constructions would be stopped till the arbitration process is complete. "Let him order immediate release of water that has been illegally stopped by Chhattisgarh," he said.

"Today, people will judge him (Modi) by only one issue and that is his stand on the illegal activities of the BJP government in Chhattisgarh. Does he support the actions of Chhattisgarh or does he support people of Odisha?" the OPCC president said.

The senior Congress leader also demanded that the prime minister announce a special package of Rs one lakh crore in three years for construction of irrigation projects in Odisha.

"Our farmers are suffering and the only way their lot can be improved is by improving utilisation of our water resources," Patnaik said.

Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra held the BJD government in Odisha of being equally responsible for depriving the state of its due share of the river water.

"Illegal construction of dams and barrages over Mahanadi went on unabated... due to the BJD regime's inaction," Mishra claimed.