Orissa's conduct on Polavaram Project irresponsible-Congress

Bhubaneswar, Oct 09: Leader of Opposition in Orissa Assembly J. B.Pattnaik today dubbed the state government's decision as ''irresponsible and highly condemnable'' to boycott the meeting convened by the Union Water Resource Minister on Polavaram Project over Godavari river in Andhra Pradesh.

Talking to the newsmen here, Mr Pattnaik said Orissa government should have attended the meeting to put forth its demand before the Union Water Resource Minister.

He said the Union Minister had invited the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Orissa to sort out the problems arising out of the construction of Polavaram Project being undertaken by the Andhra Pradesh.

While the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Chhatisgarh Water Resource Minister and other representatives attended the meeting, Orissa stayed away without assigning any reason, Mr Pattnaik said.

The former Chief Minister alleged that the Orissa government did not have necessary information on the Polavaram project and making hue and cry without verifying the fact from the Andhra Pradesh government.

He said Orissa government should honour the 1978 agreement with the Andhra Pradesh government to keep the height of the Polavaram Dam project to a maximum 150 feet.

If the height of the Dam was increased beyond 150 feet then it must be opposed tooth and nail by all as it would affect a vast tract of Malkangiri district in the state.

The Congress leader said that the state government was yet to seek clarification from the Andhra Pradesh government on the height of the dam and failed to give a clear picture to the people of Orissa on the Polavaram project. He demanded that the state government should immediately carry out the Lower Kolab project as suggested by him which would minimise the effect of the Polavaram project.

Mr Pattnaik said water spread over nearly 2700 sq kms would not flow into the Godavari river if the state government went ahead with the proposed lower Kolab multipurpose project, which not only provide irrigation to about 1.5 lakh acres of agriculture land in Malkangiri but also generate 400 MW of power.

The Leader of Opposition said Andhra Pradesh would certainly raise the Lower Kolab project if it was taken up by the Orissa government after the completion of the Polavaram project and wanted to know what prevented the Orissa government to go ahead with the Lower Kolab project to counter the Polavaran project by the Andhra Pradesh government.

He urged the Orissa government to apprise the people of the state on what action it was contemplating against Polavaranm project and desist from cheating the people on the pretext that it had boycotted the meeting convened by the Union Water Resource Minister.

UNI