Dubbing the UPA government at the Centre as "anti-Odisha," ruling BJD MLAs today asked the Union Cabinet to withdraw its decision of according national project status to the controversial Polavaram multi-purpose project.
The issue was raised in the Assembly by government deputy chief whip Sanjay Dasburma during zero hour.
Dasburma wondered how the Union Cabinet could approve the proposal of according national project status to Polavaram project when several cases were pending against the project.
Dasburma said the Centre should not accord national project status to Polavaram project at the cost of Odisha's interest.
"At least 10 tribal villages and a large chunk of forest area in Malkangiri district will be submerged due to Polavaram project in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh," said BJD member Amar Prasad Satpathy appealing the house to pass an unanimous resolution against Polavaram project.
BJD's Prafulla Ghadai, Pravat Ranjan Biswal, Samir Ranjan Dash and others voiced their protest and demanded withdrawal of the Union Cabinet's decision on according national project status to Polavaram project.
Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh of Congress, however, blamed the state government for not being able to stop the Polavaram project which they consider as anti-Odisha.
"Though the state government has filed several cases in Supreme Court opposing the Polavaram project, it failed to get any interim order on the matter," Singh pointed out.
The Congress leader also blamed the erstwhile Janata Party government which signed agreement favouring establishment of Polavaram project in Andhra Pradesh.
The leader of opposition asked the chief minister to convene an all party meeting to oppose Polavaram project.
