Cong seeks House panel on Polavaram project

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Assembly on Thursday witnessed a ruckus with Congress members demanding the formation of a House Committee on the Polavaram dam project in Andhra Pradesh, which the Opposition party claimed is likely to submerge a large chunk of land in the tribal-dominated Malkangiri district.

The issue was raised by Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Rama Chandra Kadam during the Zero Hour. He strongly criticised the BJP-led Central government for promoting the Polavaram project which will inundate about 1,400 hectares to 1,500 hectares of land in Malkangiri district.

Claiming that poor and innocent tribals in Malakangiri district will be victims of the Polavaram project, the Congress leader said that the Centre “promoted the irrigation project in Andhra Pradesh without resolving the problems of the affected people in Odisha.” He demanded that a House Committee be formed to discuss the Polavaram project and its impact on tribal people in Malkangiri district.

Not only tribal people, Kadam pointed out that the Polavaram project’s adverse effect will also impact the forests, wildlife and the local environment. “The 20 MPs elected from Odisha and the double-engine government in the State have failed to protect the interests of the people in Malkangiri district,” the Congress leader said.

Alleging that the BJP-led NDA government has been promoting the Polavaram project to protect its government at the Centre to appease the Andhra Padesh’s ruling party, Kadam said his party would launch a mass agitation protesting against the Centre’s act.

Though BJD members remained silent in the House when Congress was raising the Polavaram issue, the regional party president Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday in a statement had said: “We have been fighting for justice on the Polavaram issue. Allocating more and more funds for Polavaram without sorting out the genuine grievances of Odisha shows impartiality against Odisha.”

When Speaker Surama Padhy remained silent over the matter, the Congress members, led by its senior member Taraprasad Bahinipati, rushed to the well of the House and demanded formation of a House Committee on Polavaram project. Bahinipati attempted to climb the Speaker’s podium while Kadam was seen protesting in the House by standing on the reporter’s table.

The Opposition BJD members also joined the Congress MLAs in the well and demanded the expunge of Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Mahaling’s statement to arrest Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik on charge of creating disturbance during Governor’s speech in the Assembly on Monday. The BJD members shouted slogans in the well of the House. Unable to run the House, Speaker Surama Padhy adjourned the House till 4 pm.

Earlier, BJD member and former minister Arun Kumar Sahoo urged the Speaker to delete words like “arrest” of Naveen Patnaik on charge of creating disturbance during the Governor’s speech. He also urged Mahaling to withdraw the word “arrest”.

“If the word ‘arrest’ is not deleted or the minister withdraws his statement, let the government arrest Patnaik if it has the courage to do so,” Sahoo said seeking a ruling from the Chair (Speaker).