BHUBANESWAR: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) will raise the issue of major construction activities of Chhattisgarh Government over river Mahanadi in the monsoon session of the Parliament beginning on Monday.
Besides, the construction of Polavaram Dam by Andhra Pradesh Government which will submerge a vast area in Malkangiri district of Odisha and affect several tribal villages will be raised, BJD Parliamentary Party Leader Bhatruhari Mahatab said and added that the Central Water Commission (CWC) has failed to resolve both these disputes. The Odisha Government is raising the Polavaram issue for several years in different fora, he said.
Mahatab said BJD will also demand a discussion on the role of Governors in view of the developments in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. “The party had demanded a discussion in the last session on the issue. We will press for it again during the monsoon session,” he said. The BJD will raise the issue of cuts in the Budget provisions of Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF) which has put additional burden on the State Government.
Besides, the BJD will demand imposition of one per cent cess for the benefit of mineral bearing States only. He, however, said the party will support the GST Bill with some amendments if it is tabled in the Parliament for approval.
An all-party meeting presided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was held to have a consensus on the GST Bill ahead of its tabling in the Parliament. The monsoon session of the Parliament will have 20 working days and conclude on August 12.
Meanwhile, a two-member team from Odisha would visit Chhattisgarh on July 25 to collect detailed information about the construction of barrages on Mahanadi river by the Chhattisgarh Government. The two-member team will have the Executive Engineer, Hirakud Circle and Director, Dam Safety as members. The team will visit the barrages, collect relevant information and submit its report to the State Government.