BHUBANESWAR: The gazette notification by the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, giving a go ahead to Andhra Pradesh for construction of the Neradi barrage has come as another setback for Odisha government, still reeling from the transfer of a key railway stretch to the newly-formed South Coast Railway (SCoR) zone.
The Odisha government had in July 2021 declined to agree to AP’s request to grant consent to publication of the Vansadhara Water Disputes Tribunal (VWDT) order in the official gazette subject to finalisation of its special leave petitions (SLPs) in the Supreme Court. It had filed the SLPs arguing the tribunal’s decision allows for the improper diversion of water by Andhra Pradesh.
The VWDT, in its 2017 order, had allowed Andhra Pradesh to proceed with the construction of the Neradi Barrage. In 2021, the tribunal furnished its final report. The Odisha government had then argued that construction of the barrage will negatively affect downstream areas and refused consent for the final verdict’s publication. It had also argued that the tribunal overlooked important conditions laid down in the various inter-state agreements between Odisha and Andhra Pradesh while delivering the final award.
As per the order of the tribunal, Odisha will have to acquire 106 acre of land in its territory for the Neradi barrage project and hand it over to Andhra Pradesh within one year from the date of publication of gazette notification.
In this backdrop, the state government’s silence on the Jal Shakti Ministry’s notification has prompted the Opposition to question why the issue was not taken up with the Centre since the notification goes against the interests of the state. Currently, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi holds the Water Resources portfolio.
Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Bhakta Charan Das said Odisha was originally opposed to 50:50 sharing of water of Vansadhara river but has now been pressured by the Centre to adopt silence.
“Since the TDP is a major partner of the NDA, Odisha government is being forced to remain silent,” he added.
Senior Congress MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati said 70 per cent of the catchment area of Vanshadhara river is in Odisha which does not justify a 50:50 water sharing.
This, however, is not the first instance when things have gone in favour of Andhra Pradesh. The Railway Board recently transferred the Palasa-Ichchapuram section from the East Coast Railway (ECoR) to the newly-formed SCoR zone, triggering huge outrage across the political circles.