The Chhattisgarh Government has now effectively nailed the lie resorted to by the Odisha Government to mislead people about its failure in waking up to the challenge of the neighbouring State’s construction of dams on the Mahanadi upstream ten long years ago.
Chhattisgarh Water Resources Minister Brij Mohan Agrawal has come out with ‘evidence’ that his Government had written to the Odisha Government about its Kelo irrigation project on the river in 2006 and that the Odisha Government did receive the letter, which was received by the Odisha Water Resources Chief Engineer.
Agrawal, armed with the relevant documents, made his statement on an Odia news channel on Wednesday night. And Odisha Excise Minister Damodar Rout, who was on the panel discussion, cut a sorry figure as he had no answer to Agrawal’s statement and only kept beating about the bush making irrelevant references to how the Hirakud Dam was constructed, etc.
The Odisha ruling Biju Janata Dal’s present agitation styled as ‘Mahasangram for Mahanadi’ sounds hollow and as an attempt to hoodwink the people of the State as its Government had slept over the issue for so long. The Mahasangram (Great War) for the Mahanadi is exposed as a move to cover up the BJD Government’s prolonged silence and present ‘Mahamithya’ (Great Falsehood) about its knowledge on the Chhattisgarh projects.
No wonder then that Agrawal and his Chief Minister Raman Singh have termed the BJD’s agitation as a bid for ‘politicisation’ and creating ‘sensation’ as panchayat elections are fast approaching in Odisha.
Under the circumstances, Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh, claiming that his State as a Mahanadi co-basin region has legitimate share of the river’s water, has asked his Government officials to hasten up implementation of the dam projects.
Agrawal even ridiculed the Odisha Government’s lack of efforts in building more dams on the Mahanadi after the Hirakud Dam.
Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti on Thursday too strongly denounced the BJD’s agitation, including stoppage of Chhattisgarh-bound trains, and said the Odisha ruling outfit means creating ‘sensation’ for its political motive.