A delegation of activists of the Mahendratanaya Banchao Andolan led by its convenor Srikant Padhi visited Mahendratanaya irrigation project at Dambapur in Gajapati district on Saturday and held discussion with Executive Engineer Alok Mishra, Assistant Engineer RK Sabata and other officials of the Irrigation Department.

They demanded early completion of the project and laying of pipeline within a year. To facilitate water supply to the people of Gajapti district from the Mahendratanaya river, a special project Mahendratanaya Anicut Irrigation Project with an estimated cost of Rs 38 crore was inaugurated by the Chief Minister on April 30, 2008 at Dambapur-Champapur but it still unfinished. Though Dambapur project is ready for completion within a year, but DPR of Champur Project is yet to be finalised.

The Mahendratanaya river is a tributary of the Vanshadhara river originating from the Tupara village in the foothills of the Mahendragiri mountain range located in Gajapati district. The river traverses through Gajapati and Rayagada district flowing around 35 km in Odisha before entering into the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh (AP) and again it enters Odisha and reunites with the Vanshadhara river located at Gulumuru NR Gotta Barrage in Andhra Pradesh.

It is learnt that both the States share the water of Mahendratanaya river on a 50:50 basis as per a bilateral agreement entered in the year 1962. It was also agreed upon by the both the States that if there would be any kind of dispute over sharing of water both the States would resolve the dispute through bilateral talks.

The bilateral agreement was ignored and violated by AP and on April 4, 2008 the then AP Chief Minister YS Rajshekhar Reddy had laid the foundation stone for the Melliaputy dam in Srikakulam district over the river. It was known as the Mahendrataneya offshore project. The project of AP has affected as many as 8,000 families spread over 30 villages in Odisha. The project affected people had staged a protest rally on April 10, 2008 in Paralakhemundi, followed by a two-day long hunger strike before the Paralkhemundi Sub-Collector office led by convenor Padhi. Only after a written assurance from the then Collector, the strike was called off and CM Naveen Patnaik had announced that within two years time the Mahendratanaya irrigation project would be operational.