Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday said the remarks of Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi backing the Polavaram irrigation project in Andhra Pradesh go against the interests of Odisha. Patnaik, who returned here after his visit to New Delhi, also assured that the Odisha Government would take adequate steps to ensure that people of the State would not be affected due to the project.
“The statements of Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi on the Polavaram issue are against the interest of the State. We have moved the Supreme Court and will take appropriate steps to protect the interest of the State,” said Patnaik.Modi and Gandhi during their election campaigns in Andhra Pradesh stated that the Polavaram project has been much delayed and must be expedited for the benefit of the Andhra Pradesh people.
While the Odisha Government has been opposing the height of the proposed Polavaram dam, the Union Cabinet recently gave its nod to the idea of setting up an autonomous Polavaram Project Authority (PPA) to expedite the process of environmental and investment clearances for the controversial Polavaram multipurpose project.