A protest dharna was held before the Raj Bhavan here as a large region of Malkangari, Motu and undivided Koraput is now submerged owing to the flow of back water of the Polavaram project.
"Polavarom has proved as an ulcer to the people of Koraput, while it has become a boon to the Andhra people," opined former Union Minister Braja Kishore Tripathy.
Tripathy alleged that consequent upon increasing the capacity of the spillway of Poralvarom dam from 36lakh cusecs to 50 lakh cusecs toward discharging of water, the danger of deluge due to waterlogging on the side of Odisha has assumed overwhelming proportions leading to the total inundation of Koraput district.
The Andhra Government had pooh-poohed the objection of many noted engineers and environmentalists as to the fact that the project was having some inherent flaws in its design. As a result today the river Godavari is flowing over the danger mark of 53 feet at 68 feet level. Experts apprehend that if the embankment gives way, then 50lakhs of people will be washed away along with crores of properties will be lost in the sea, Tripathy said.
It is sure that the villages of Motu area like Alima, Mulriguda, Madigudaru, Kadguda, Peta, Gosarpalli, will be wiped out from the map of Odisha. 10,000 people have to leave their domicile, besides inundation of 6,950 hectares land belonging to 15 villages.
The protestors also alleged that whatever the data is available, it is only provided by Government of Andhra with no data available with the State Government of Odisha. Odisha is inviting failure because of non-employing senior counsels to plead the case. Many advisors of the Department of Water Resources of Odisha are from Andhra background and it is a fact that some members of the irrigation panel counsels are also from Andhra. It is a fact that no one from the Government of Odisha represented at the proper forum despite being invited in the year 2009. Odisha also maintained unusual reticence for one year and seven months till the Polavarum project got its clearance from the Forest and Environment Department. It is not understood why the Government of India had hastened up to declare Polavaram as the national project throwing the interest of Odisha to the winds, they asked.
A public hearing was also not held properly, they alleged and submitted a memorandum for the Governor.
The protest was organised by Loknayak Jayaprakash International Study and Development Centre, New Delhi, Odisha Civil Society and Our People's Rights, CPI(M), CPI and Odisha Banchao Abhiyan.