The Mahandratanaya Bachao Andolan has said that it would stage a dharna in front of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s residence Naveen Niwas in Bhubaneswar if the State Government doesn’t take steps for early completion of two under-construction dam projects over river Mahendratanaya in Gajapati district.
“After the Andhra Pradesh Government laid foundation stone for a project over Mahendratanaya in 2008 in violation of Andhra-Odisha Agreement 1962, locals protested the project vehemently as it would create water scarcity in undivided Ganjam district. In view of locals’ demand, the State Government also laid foundation stone for two projects, one at Dambapur and another at Champapur, over the river in Gajapati district. But by now only 30 per cent of Dambapur project has been done while Champapur project remains a nonstarter. Our repeated requests for completion of the projects have fallen in deaf years,” said Andolan coordinator Srikant Padhi.
He again slammed the Government for stating that the Champapur project would not be changed.
Similarly, he said the Chheligada project approved by the Chief Minister has not started yet.
“The projects once constructed would provide water to people in undivided Ganjam district. If early steps are not taken in this regard, we will be forced to stage a dharna in front of the Chief Minister’s residence,” said Padhi.