BHUBANESWAR: The ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has called for a 12-hour strike in the undivided Koraput district on Monday to protest against Polavaram multi-purpose dam project.
The ruling party will protest against the project in a peaceful manner from 6 am to 6 pm in Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Koraput and Rayagada districts, BJD general secretary Narendra Swain said. The Lok Sabha passed a Bill on Friday paving the way for the controversial Polavaram project ignoring opposition from several political parties, including the BJD.
BJD MP Bhartruhari Mahatab had voiced his concern in the Lok Sabha against the height of the dam. He said his party was not against the project itself, but the ‘arbitrariness’ with which the height of the dam was increased that would inundate 307 tribal villages in Odisha and Chhattisgarh.
Suggesting that the project’s design could be altered to ensure that tribals are not affected in any region, Mahatab said the way things are turning out, there could be no alternative but to approach the courts. Four cases filed by the State Government against Polavaram project are pending in the Supreme Court. ens