Bhubaneswar: After a brief lull, the Polavaram issue came to the state’s centrestage again with the state SC/ST development minister Ramesh Chandra Majhi Tuesday joining issue with Union minister Jual Oram over this issue. Dubbing Oram’s statement in Rajya Sabha January 4 as ‘unfortunate’, Majhi urged the Union tribal affairs minister to put pressure on the Centre to issue a direction to Andhra Pradesh to halt the work on the controversial project.
In his reply in Rajya Sabha January 4, Oram had said no tribal family from Orissa would be affected by the Polavaram project if Andhra Pradesh government constructs an embankment to check flow of water into its border areas.
The minister had stated that 17,444 tribal people of north Andhra Pradesh would be displaced. But, the project will not cause harm to any one from Orissa and Chhattisgarh.
However, the state tribal welfare minister drew the attention of Oram to his earlier interview to Outlook magazine relating to the multi-purpose Polavaram project June 8, 2014,saying his present statement and previous statement are self-contradicting.
Quoting Oram’s 2014 interview in a letter he sent to Oram, the state minister wrote, “On Polavaram multipurpose project, Oram said Orissa government has been unable to raise the issue effectively for the state’s interests, though the dam is set to affect a large number of people in the state. He said the Centre would back any step by Orissa government that aims at safeguarding the interest of the state and its people.”
Further Majhi alleged that this Rajya Sabha statement of the Union tribal affairs minister is not based on data and factual figures.
He also alleged that despite belonging to a tribal community of the state, Oram has failed to address the problems of tribals here.
“For the larger interest of people of the state, I urge you to raise the issue with the concerned department and instruct Andhra Pradesh to stop the project work till the issue is resolved,” Majhi wrote.
Oram, couldn’t be reached for his comment.
Previously, taking strong exception to Oram’s statement, Majhi had alleged that the Union minister seems to have turned a blind eye to this issue.
Majhi had said a total of 6,818 people, including 5,916 tribals will be displaced. A total of 25 habitations including 15 revenue villages and 10 hamlets will be submerged and a total of 7,656 hectares of land will be inundated due to the project.
He had also stated that the Motu area of Malkangiri will be severely affected by the district due to this project. PNN