Cancel Polavorum hydro project- Utkal Sammilani

Bhubaneswar, Feb 5 (UNI) Utkal Sammilani, a century old NGO in Orissa, today demanded cancellation of the proposed hydroelectric project at Polavorum on Orissa-Andhra Pradesh border on Godavari River by Andhra Pradesh government.

The members of Utkal Sammilani who sat on a dharna before the Assembly in support of their demand later submitted a memorandum to Orissa Governor M C Bhandare addressed to the President urging her to intervene into the matter.

Utkal Sammilani Bhubaneswar unit President Dr Adwaita Patra and Mancheswar unit President Dillip Dash Sharma claimed that 12 villages in Motu Tahasil under Kalimela block of Malkangiri district would be submerged if the Andhra Pradesh government went ahead with the project.

Several schools, hospitals and government offices in many panchayats would also be adversely affected in the area,the leaders said and appealed to the President either cancell the project or ensure that people of Malkangiri district were not affected.

They urged the President to initiate steps to accord the status of second language to Oriya in neghbouring Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand as per the provision of the constitution.

Oriyas constitute the second major population in these two states and as per the guidelines of Linguistic Minority Commission, Oriyas should be recognised as the second language of the government for the concerned state, they argued.

Utkal Sammilani also demanded to install a statue of Utkal Gourab Madhusudan Das, maker of modern Orissa, a former member of the Imperial Legislative Council and a mentor of Mahatma Gandhi in Parliament house complex.

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