Bhubaneswar: The Mahanadi Bachao Andolan (MBA) Wednesday questioned the purpose of the proposed five-day visit of the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal to Odisha, asking whether it would yield any tangible benefit for the state.
A fact-finding team will visit the affected areas February 27 to assess the ground situation and seek details of the proposed project from departmental authorities.
Announcing protests over the tribunal’s visit, the MBA said a demonstration would be held at Master Canteen Square February 26.
From February 27 to March 2, satyagrahas and sand protests will be staged at ten places, including Kanaktora, Sambalpur, Binika, Sonepur, Athmallik, Banki, Baideswar, Cuttack and Paradip.
At a meeting held at Netaji Bhawan in Unit-VI here under the chairmanship of Sudarshan Das, members of the movement expressed concern over the tribunal’s visit from February 26 to March 2.
The delegation will be led by the tribunal’s chairperson, Justice Bela M Trivedi and include members Justice Ravi Ranjan and Justice Indermeet Kaur Kochhar, along with other officials.
Raising sharp questions, the activists alleged that a similar visit by the tribunal in 2023 had cost nearly Rs 5 crore from the state exchequer but yielded no tangible outcome for Odisha.
With the tribunal’s tenure set to end in March and uncertainty over a possible extension due to the chairperson’s post remaining vacant for nine months earlier, the organisation sought clarity on the objective and expected outcome of the fresh visit.
The movement reiterated that Odisha and the Mahanadi river have not received justice so far and called for an interim order directing the release of essential water to the state during the non-monsoon period.
The activists also expressed concern over a proposed barrage on the Daya River, warning that it could adversely affect downstream flow.
Alleging large-scale sand lifting by mafias from the riverbed, they said such activities pose serious environmental and safety risks.
