BJD To Intensify Stir Against Polavaram Project

Bhubaneswar: Intensifying its stir against the Polavarm irrigation project, the ruling BJD on Sunday announced to stage demonstration in front of Raj Bhawan on September 14.

It also announced to stage a protest in seven southern districts of Odisha on September 20.

“We would stage a demonstration in front of Raj Bhawan and submit a memorandum addressed to the President of India seeking his intervention in the Polavaram issue. The anti-Odisha stand of the NDA government cannot be tolerated,” said BJD youth wing president Sanjay Dasburma.

The party would stage a dharna in seven districts of southern districts-Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Gajapati, Kandhamal, Nabarangpur and Ganjam.

BJD vice-president Surya Narayan Patro said the party would fight tooth and nail against the central government, which has given environment clearance to Polavaram project without conducting a public hearing in the affected states.

He said the union government had accorded the irrigation project as national status.

“If the central government does not take any steps to protect the interest of Odisha by the end of September, we will resort to ‘hartal’ in the seven districts on October 1,” said Dasburma.