Bhubaneswar: Armed with Union Ministry of Environment and Forest’s (MoEF) show cause letter to Chhattissgarh on Mahanadi issue, Ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Saturday slammed Modi government and the Chhattissgarh over the water dispute.
Speaking to media persons here at BJD office, senior BJD MP Pinaki Mishra said the MoEF had slapped and show cause notice on Chhattisgarh for gross violations of norms and also bypassing Orissa’s point of view.
Mishra alleged that the BJP-led Centre is a party to Chhattisgarh’s fraud and illegality and has allowed the state to go ahead with the contentious constructions over river Mahanadi despite the indictment and show cause notice slapped on Chhattisgarh.
The neighbouring state grossly violated the green norms by supplying water to the industries in the name of irrigation, the BJD leader said.
The ministry has asked the Environment Impact Assessment Authority of Chhattisgarh to reply what actions it has been taken for such illegality and also sought a clarification from their water resource secretary on why the ministry and Orissa government were kept in dark about the construction of six barrages in the upstream of Mahanadi river, the MP said showing the letter.
“We’ll produce this letter in the Supreme Court and National Green Tribunal soon. This letter has been kept hidden by the Centre,” the MP added. Taking a pot shot at the BJP, BJD vice-president Debi Prasad Mishra alleged the Centre’s dilly-dallying on the formation of tribunal peeing Chhattisgarh assembly elections in mind.
On the other hand, state BJP vice president Sameer Mohanty hit back at the BJD government asking the state government to make it clear on how much water is being supplied to how many industries from Hirakud Dam and Samal Barrage and how much to the farmers for irrigation.
PNN