In a sharp reply to SC and ST Development Minister Ramesh Chandra Majhi’s allegation relating to the Polavaram project in Andhra Pradesh, Union Minister Jual Oram on Wednesday said Majhi and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik are not discharging responsibilities for the interest of Odisha people and doing cheap politics only.
“You know very well that replies of the Union Ministers are fully based on the information provided by the concerned State Government and the agency. My reply to D Raja’s question on the Polavaram project was based on the information provided by the Polavarm project authorities. It means your Government has not provided any data regarding damages to be caused by the project neither to the Andhra Pradesh Government nor to the Prolavaram project authorities,” Oram mentioned in his letter to Ramesh.
Notably, Majhi recently alleged that Oram’s reply in the Rajya Sabha was the most unfortunate as he stated that no displacement would occur in Odisha and requested him to ask the Andhra Pradesh Government to stop the Polavaram project.
Oram too dared Majhi to make public the data of possible displacement and submergence to happen due to the project if the State Government has sent either to the AP Government or the Polavaram project authorities in any manner. “I as well as people of Odisha have right to know if you have sent the data with which you are doing politics either to the AP Government or to the Polavaram Authorities,” wanted to know Oram.
He wanted to know if he (Majhi) knows various sanctions relating to the project was made during the UPA Government and the stint BJD leader Arjun Charan Sethi as Water Resources Minister.
Stating that he would continue to fight for protection of interest and rights of tribal people, Oram asked Majhi not to shoulder failings of his Government rather work for welfare of tribal people. He also requested him to send fact-based data to the Union Government for necessary action.
On January 15, Mahi had mentioned in his letter that the project has flouted several norms for which 6,818 people of the State, including 5,916 belonging to ST, spread over 25 human habitats and 7,656 hectares of cultivable land would be affected.