BHUBANESWAR:
The Nadi Mukti Abhiyan (NMA), a civil society organisation working for
conservation of rivers in the State, on Sunday demanded that the State
Government frame a river policy for effective conservation of rivers. The NMA
members expressed grave concern over the mindless use of Baitarani river water
by industrial companies violating law of the land.
NMA convener Akshay Kumar said
the State Government is distributing the Baitarani water at a rate of 4.4 paise
per kilolitre to the industrial houses while common people get it at a rate of
Rs 7 to Rs 10. A company takes 28.8 million litres of water per day whereas the
Keonjhar town consumes only 5.3 million litres per day, which shows the
exploitation of the companies on the river, he added.
“If the Government doesn’t take
any immediate step to save the Baitarani, it will face a premature death,” said
NMA advisor Kiran Sahu, adding, “We have been writing in this regard to the top
officials of the State along with Ministers and the Chief Minister to stop the
construction works in the river by the companies to take water from it.”
It may be noted that the Brahmani
River Pellets Limited (BRPL), a sister concern of the giant overseas company
Stemcor, is planning to transport iron ore from the Joda-Barbil mining belt to
its pellet plant at Kalinga Nagar through slurry pipes, for which a huge
quantity of water is required for pushing the ore through the pipeline. Farmers
of five districts, including Jajpur, Keonjhar, Bhadrak and Baleswar, are
opposing tooth and nail the drawing of water from the river citing that no
water will be left for agriculture if the Government goes ahead with the plan.
Baitarani Banchao Andolan
convenor and BJP State
general secretary Murali Sharma had filed a petition at the National Green
Tribunal (NGT) seeking stalling the move for allocation of water. On November
20, the NGT has passed an interim stay order not to use water for the BRPL. The
State Government and the Centre have been issued notices to furnish their views
on the issue. But the BRPL, without waiting for the final ruling, is cutting
forests and laying slurry pipeline for transportation of ore.
Sources said the BRPL has filed a
petition to vacate the stay order which is yet to be considered by the NGT.
Sources informed that the forest clearance obtained by the company has already
expired last month, but the company has not refrained from cutting forests in
the Koida area of Keonhar. “The multinational company has made a mockery of the
law of our land. Justice AS Naidu had provided a ray of hope for farmers by
imposing an interim stay order on the pipe laying activities of the company,
but the latter has dishonoured it,” lamented a farmer leader of the Anandpur
area in Keonjhar district.
The State Government has sought
four weeks more from the NGT for filing its reply on water allocation from the
Baitarani to the BRPL.
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