Paralakhemundi: Andhra Pradesh is hatching a conspiracy to curb flow in the Mahandratanaya river to Odisha. The people of border villages in Gajapati district fear that agriculture will be affected due to this.
This has come after multiple attempts by the neighbouring state in the past to grab river sand, forest and minerals in the border areas of Odisha.
Reports said the AP government had made an attempt to build a dam on the Mahendratanaya river at Regilipadu and to divert water to its side.
This attempt by AP had triggered protests in Gajapati and the state government is paying attention to the issue. The AP government has been carrying out construction work at Meliaput since 2008 to dam the river.
This project will squeeze water flow to Odisha, due to which many border villages of Gajapati district will face shortage of water for drinking and agriculture. The residents of Gajapati town are also worried.
On the other hand, to counter the AP bid at Maliaput, the state government had announced that it would build irrigation projects at Dambapur and Champapur.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had laid the foundation stone of the Dambapur irrigation project April 30, 2008 and the government had assured that work would start immediately. But 11 years have passed and work has not started.
The fate of the Champapur irrigation project hangs in balance with locals pointing fingers at the state government. For many years farmers here have been facing water shortage.
Odisha has the advantage of utilising the water of Mahandratanaya, as it originates in Odisha and 80 per cent of its course is inside Odisha, before it enters AP at Srikakulam.
Locals pointed to the statement of former revenue minister Manmohan Samal, who had observed that if a barrage is constructed on the upper reaches of the river, 7940 hectares of land in Odisha could be irrigated.
Samal had accused the AP government of having violated the inter-state river water sharing pact of 1962. Despite all advantages, the state government has not been able to build irrigation projects. Former Chief Minister Janaki Ballabh Patnaik had lambasted the state government for its alleged apathy in executing irrigation projects.
The farmers and residents of Gajapati town want the state government to act promptly to protect the state’s interests.
When contacted, the Assistant Engineer of the Irrigation Department, Sachindra Behera, said that he had joined only recently and cannot comment on the issue.
PNN
