Former Union Minister Braja Kishore Tripathy and Former State Finance Minister Panchanan Kanungo said construction of barrages and anicuts upstream Hirakud reservoir in Chhattisgarh has been done with full knowledge of both the Odisha Government.
Addressing media after their visit to barrage sites, they said though a report in this regard had been tabled in the Odisha Assembly in 2007-08, unfortunately the Odisha Government, instead of seeking intervention of the Union Government, had preferred to sit silent over the issue.
“Casual attitude of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who is also in charge of Water Resources Department, has put the State in dire straits. The barrages constructed by the Chhhattisgarh Government are bound to affect the interest of Odisha,” they rued.
Stating that Mahanadi is the life line of 15 districts, they said the river is gradually drying up due upstream constructions.
“When we have offices of the Water Resources Department and Hirakud Dam upstream in Chhattisgarh, it is not acceptable that the State Government was ignorant about the constructions,” they argued.
Kanungo apprehended that river Mahanandi would one day cease to exist due to barrages in Chhattisgarh. He demanded that the State Government place a demand with the Union Government for constitution of a tribunal to solve the water dispute problem according to River Water Distribution Act 1956.
He said days are not far behind when the Hirakud reservoir would fail to supply adequate water for drinking and irrigation purposes and hence, the Government should stop providing water to industries.