Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Srikant Jena on Wednesday said the BJD Government here and the BJP Government at Centre have a nexus to provide Mahanadi water to industries for their individual gains and hardly have little concern for farmers.
“It is no doubt that Rabi farming which is dependent on waters of Kendrapada Canal, Pattamundai Canal, Taldanda Canal and Puri Canal will be severely hit once under-construction barrages come up in upstream of the Mahanadi in Chhattisgarh. But the BJD and the BJP have a nexus to provide water to industries and hardly have little interest to provide water to farmers,” alleged Jena in a statement
He alleged as many as seven big companies have together provided Rs 14,000 crore to Chhattisgarh for construction of the barrages as they have been promised uninterrupted water supply to their proposed power plants in the neighbouring State.
Jena said the Odisha Government is busy supplying water to 12 large companies for their plants.
“While farmers have been opposing supply of water to industries in Sambalpur, thousands of farmers are still waiting to get water from the Rengali and Samal irrigation projects for the last 30 years. Similarly, The State Government is silent on the Subarnarekah water project. From this, it is well established that how the Odisha Government is concerned about farmers’ interest,” said he.
He said the CBI probe in chit fund and mining scam cases has been slowed only for the secret understanding between the two parties.
“People of the state can’t be befooled any more. The Congress would go to the people and make them know about this. People will give a befitting reply at a right time,” said Jena