Mahanadi dispute: Unity of parties cracks on solution issue
BHUBANESWAR: The three major parties in the State, BJD, BJP and Congress, which had found a common ground on Mahandi river water dispute with neighbouring Chhattisgarh, fell out again on Sunday. The BJD sponsored ‘Kalma Chala Abhijan’, the march by three parties to Kalma barrage in Chhattisgarh, was dropped due to strong opposition from the Congress and BJP at the all-party meeting here. The two opposition parties alleged that it is likely to create unnecessary animosity between the two neighbours and not serve the interest of Odisha.
Questioning the relevance of the march to Kalma, president of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) Niranjan Patnaik said an all-party delegation should meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in this regard. Patnaik asked why Chief Minister did not raise the Mahanadi water issue for the last 15 years.
Senior leader Biswabhusan Harichandan, who attended the meeting on behalf of the BJP, said Odisha Government should try to obtain a stay from the tribunal on the ongoing project work by Chhattisgarh Government. Addressing the meeting, BJD vice-president Debi Prasad Mishra said awareness will be created among the people against construction of barrages over Mahanadi by Chhattisgarh. He alleged that flow in the river has reduced drastically after construction of Kalma barrage by Chhattisgarh.
Criticising the Centre for extending tacit support to Chhattisgarh over the issue, Mishra said though the tribunal has been formed on the Supreme Court order, the Odisha Government is yet to receive the term of reference (TOR).Sudarsan Das, convenor of the Mahanadi Banchao Abhijan (MBA), which had convened the all-party meeting, said the Kalma Chala Abhijan had to be dropped to avoid a situation of confrontation between the two States.
Mahanadi unity of parties cracks on solution issue
Instead, a delegation will meet the Prime Minister to apprise him about the situation, he said and added that appointment from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) will be sought in this regard soon. Das said a resolution was passed at the meeting to organise satyagraha at Lakhanpur in Jharsguda district to protest closure of all gates of Kalma barrage by Chhattisgarh Government.
Stating that Odisha Government was advised to prepare facts and figures to be presented before the tribunal, Das said efforts should be made to obtain order of maintaining status quo on all construction activities by Chhattisgarh. He said to make the MBA more broad based, a state level conference of writers, artistes and intellectuals to be attended by water man Rajendra Singh will be organised on May 29.