Maintaining that the Polavarammulti-purpose project is of no good for Odisha, the stategovernment today said it did not require water from the damover river Godavari as offered by neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.
"Odisha does not need Polavaram project. The state alsodoes not require water from the AP project. Our waterrequirement has already been met by the Kolab project. If atall we require water, those can be directly drawn from riverSaberi through Mega Lift Irrigation project," Water ResourceSecretary S C Mohapatra told reporters here.
Mohapatra was replying a question on the Andhra Pradeshgovernment's offer of five TMC (thousand million cubic feet)water from Polavaram multi-purpose project. "The stategovernment has already sanctioned the Mega Lift Irrigationproject. We can use it if there is any deficit of water forirrigation," he said.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Reddy in a recentstatement had said that Odisha's loss because of Polavaramproject was "very small" and the gain "much more".
While Odisha would lose around 2000 acres (due tosubmergence for Polavaram project), it would get five TMCwater, Reddy had said, adding that to store 5 TMC water 4000to 5000 acres of land and Rs 600 to Rs 700 crore would berequired. But Odisha would benefit as the storage would bedone in Andhra, Reddy had said.
Meanwhile, Odisha government is yet to take a decisionon Andhra Pradesh's proposal of settling the issue throughdiscussion.
"We have sought some details about Polavaram project fromAndhra government. We should know what exactly they want todiscuss with us," Mohapatra said, adding that a case waspending in the Supreme Court in this regard. Odisha governmenthad gone to the apex court challenging the Rs 16,000 crorePolavaram project.
Official sources said Andhra Pradesh had offered to payOdisha Rs 650 crore as grant for constructing a 30-km longembankment inside the state for Polavaram project.
"It would be foolish for us to accept such an offer,"said a senior official, adding that a large area in Odisha'sMalkangiri district would be submerged once the Polavaramproject becomes operational.
Meanwhile, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik hadsought Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's intervention into thedispute with Andhra Pradesh over Polavaram project as theneighbouring state had reportedly finalised tenders forconstruction.
The state had been opposing Polavaram project since2007 and filed at least two cases in the Supreme Court seekingto stop the dam project over Godavari.