Bhubaneswar: Intensifying its campaign against the ongoing work of the Polavaram project, Odisha’s opposition BJD Thursday urged the Centre to uphold tribal rights, which are under threat due to alleged violation of several laws and enhancement of flood discharge capacity of the irrigation project in Andhra Pradesh.
A day after meeting the officials of the Central Water Commission (CWC) and Union Minister for Jal Shakti CR Patil, a BJD delegation met Union Environment, Forest & Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav and Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Jual Oram in Delhi Thursday.
“The Biju Janata Dal calls upon the Union Government to uphold constitutional responsibilities towards tribal communities and ensure their voices are not ignored in the name of development. Development cannot come at the cost of displacement, deprivation, and destruction of identity,” said BJD’s senior vice-president Debi Prasad Mishra, who heads the delegation.
Asked whether the BJD was against development, Mishra said, “Not at all. We are opposed to the project as it is not being constructed as per the law of the land. We demand transparency and proper implementation of the law.”
They got clearance from the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs way back in 2005 and 2007 with one design, and later enhanced the capacity unilaterally without considering its impact on the affected people, he alleged.
Mishra said the delegation raised serious concerns over the impact of the Polavaram Project on the tribal communities of Malkangiri district in Odisha.
It pointed out that despite earlier meetings and submission of memoranda, including a meeting with the Secretary of MoEF&CC December 4, 2024, there has been no substantial action or response from the central authorities, he said.
The delegation reminded the Union Ministers about the Supreme Court’s observation September 6, 2022, which stressed that environmental clearances, independent exhaustive backwater studies and stakeholder consultation must be a priority before further execution of the project, Mishra pointed out.
BJD leader Priyabrata Majhi pointed out that the environmental clearance for the Polavaram Project was granted on October 25, 2005, and the Resettlement and Rehabilitation (R&R) clearance was accorded by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) April 17, 2007.
“These clearances were based on the technical parameters of the irrigation project as originally conceived under the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal (GWDT) Award. However, the scope of the project was subsequently expanded significantly without obtaining fresh regulatory approvals, including revised environmental clearance and clearance from MoTA,” Majhi said.
The party said that in 2011, the MoEF&CC itself realising the facts that the scope of the project was enlarged, issued a ‘Stop Work order’. The then Odisha government had also approached the Supreme Court in 2007, challenging the irregularities and deviations which were made without taking consent from riparian states. However, without any reasonable explanation, the construction of the project was allowed.
Therefore, the BJD demanded immediate initiation of a fresh, independent exhaustive backwater study to assess the real impact of the project on Malkangiri and neighbouring tribal areas by MoEF&CC, transparent and holistic review of the environmental and social consequences, with special attention to the tribal populations in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Telangana.
“We also demanded an impact assessment on the lives, livelihoods, and cultural heritage of tribal communities, such as the Koya, Santal, Banjara, Durua, Bhumia, Bonda, Gadaba, Kotia, Didayi, Konda Dora, Paraja, Halwa, Kandha, Matia, and Konda Reddy be conducted by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs,” Mishra said.
The BJD pointed out that the revised flood discharge capacity from 36 lakh cusec to 50 lakh cusecs, without adequate environmental reassessment, has increased the risk of submergence and displacement in upstream areas, particularly Odisha. The recent sanction of Rs 17,936 crores by the Centre for Polavaram’s completion has escalated fears among the tribal communities who now face an imminent threat to their ancestral lands, culture, and livelihood.
PTI
