BHUBANESWAR: The controversial Polavaram dam issue continued to rock the Assembly on Tuesday with the Congress and the BJP members criticising the state government for the lack of information on the project and demanded a white paper on it.
The people of the state are completely in the dark as to how the Polavaram project will affect Odisha, Leader of Opposition Narsingh Mishra said and asked the state government to issue a white paper with details on how much land and how many villages will be submerged.
Criticising the BJD for raising the issue for political gains, Mishra said that the Congress will support the ruling party on issues relating to state’s interest. He demanded that a discussion should be held in the house on the issue.
State BJP president K V Singhdeo also announced that his party would stand by the state government if Polavaram project would have any adverse impact on the tribals of Malkangiri district. But let the state government first place facts and data on the project in the house, he said.
Singhdeo said that the state government should let the MLAs know details about the discussion between a ministerial team from the state which visited Hyderabad in 2002 and the Andhra Pradesh Government on the project.
The issue was raised in the Assembly during zero hour when members cutting across party lines expressed their concern over the passage of Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill which paved way for the construction of the Polavaram project over Godavari river despite Odisha’s Opposition.
Amar Prasad Satpathy (BJD) alleged that height of the proposed dam was increased arbitrarily.