Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had inaugurated an irrigation project on the Mahendratanaya river at Domabapur and Jalango villages in 2008. And, though nine years have passed, even 50 per cent of the work was not completed.
The river starts from the historical Mahandragiri hills of Odisha and passes through the villages of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.
The cannel of Mahendratanaya joins at Budura and Malayaputi village of Andhra Pradesh where the Andhra Pradesh Government wants to conserve water by constructing a mega irrigation dam project.
In 2007, when the Andhra Pradesh CM laid the foundation of the dam, the people of Odisha protested tooth and nail. Then the Chief Minister of Odisha had started the project on the Mahendratanaya. The tender of the project, however, was handed over to a contractor of Andhra Pradesh, who has no interest to complete works. The Odisha Government promised to complete the construction of the dam within a year though.
The Andhra Pradesh Government, by contrast, is very fast in the constriction work of the dam project and also cannel as they have by now completed about 99 per cent of the work. If there will be project in Andhra Pradesh, about four-five villages of Odisha will suffer. Besides, the inhabitants of Rayagada, Goshani and Paralakhemundi will not get even a drop of drinking water.