BJP leader and former Assembly Deputy Speaker Rama Chandra Panda has in a letter conveyed his deep gratitude to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for expediting the process for the proposed Mahanadi-Rushikulya river linking project of the State.
Modi has asked the Water Resources Ministry for formation of a task force for the mega pro-farmers project. It may be recalled here that, Panda had submitted a comprehensive memorandum to the Prime Minister after consulting a band of technical experts on March 19 last after which a central task force visited Odisha and conducted a series of interactions with the State Government in the matter.
Panda also thanked the State Government for accepting the pre-feasibility report on the mega linking project. Panda conveyed his gratitude to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik who in a written reply informed the Assembly on last Monday that the Government may go ahead with two river linking projects, Bansadhara-Rushikulya and Mahanadi-Rushikulya.
He also expressed his gratitude to Union Minister Uma Bharati for taking the demand forward. According to NWDA sources, the surplus water of river Mahanadi during rain would be transferred to river Rushikullya through a diversion channel and it would not cause any submergence.
Panda has been spearheading the river linking movement in the district right from the Vajpayee Government. As a sequel to his movement, Panda had also organized a massive rally of farmers in his home constituency at Chatrapur on November 7, 2007 and led a week-long Jala-Yatra on March 5, 2010 from tribal dominated Gajapati district to Raj Bhavan.
The National Water Development Agency (NWDA) had submitted its pre-feasibility report in favor of Mahanadi-Rushikullya River link from Barmul point for which the farmers of Ganjam have been agitating since 1986.
Panda also extended his gratitude to NWDA, Odisha circle, former Engineer in Chief PK Mishra, Engineer in Chief Janaki Ballahab Mohapatra, among others.