BHUBANESWAR: River protection activists on Thursday announced to start an indefinite satyagraha in front of the residence of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi if the government did not take steps to control pollution of the Daya River.
The decision was taken during a meeting of Mahanadi Bachao Andolan, Daya Surakhya Abhijan, Gangua Bachao Andolan and Chilika Bachao Abhijan in view of the death of six persons in the Kanas area of Puri district due to suspected diarrhoea after consumption of contaminated water from Daya river.
The activists demanded that the government initiate steps to decontaminate the river as it is a source of drinking water for people residing in its nearby areas. They also demanded that the Gangua nullah be given the status of a river as it was earlier known as the Gandhabati River.
The organisations urged the government to involve river experts, environmentalists and local committees in the revival of the Gangua nullah instead of implementing such a project only through the Water Resources Department.
This apart, the resolution demanded that the state government order an inquiry to find out why sewage treatment plants (STPs) planned for the Gangua nullah were not completed, and sought strong action against industries, apartments and other agencies responsible for polluting the water of Daya and Gangua rivers.
The other demands included making Chilika Lake pollution-free and restructuring of the Chilika Development Authority by taking in experts, environmentalists and representatives of fishermen's organisations.
Among others, convenor of the Mahanadi Bachao Andolan Sudarsan Das, former Union minister Braja Kishore Tripathy, former VC of Utkal University Binayak Rath and environmentalist Jaykrushna Panigrahi addressed the convention.