River link proposals get boost by Supreme Court order

--‘Start Rushikulya-Mahanadi River interlinking project work’

BHUBANESWAR: “The Government should start Rushikulya-Mahanadi River interlinking project work immediately in war footing as recently the Supreme Court have directed the Centre to implement the ambitious river interlinking project,” said Ex-Deputy Speaker and Rushikulya Banchao Manch president Rama Chandra Panda at a Press meet here on Thursday.

Panda said the National Water Development Agency (NWDA) has submitted Pre-Feasibility Report in favour of the Mahanadi-Rushikulya River link from Baramul Point for which the farmers of Ganjam have been agitating since 1986.

“Earlier during June, 2000, I had submitted a Memorandum to the then Prime Minister demanding transferring of surplus rain water from the Mahanadi to the Rushikulya basin to serve the later from being dried out. In April, 2008 a PIL was filed in the High Court of Odisha regarding this matter. The State Government had also committed in the State Assembly to take forward the Mahanadi-Rushikulya link proposal expeditiously about 7 years back. But no tangible result has been received so far,” he added.

He mentioned about the total annual flow of the Mahanadi is about 25 million acre ft. There is hardly storage of 3.91 Million Acre ft in Hirakud Dam while another about 2 million acre ft is hardly used enroute for irrigation while the rest passes into Sea. On the other hand, the Rushikulya except rainy season, it remains dry rest of the year, he added.

According to the NWDA report, this river interlinking project not only helps in agriculture purpose but also it can be used for electricity generation of 373.30 MW and Municipal use.

Panda said the Government should create an Executive Wing under Water Resources Department exclusively to oversee Mahanadi-Rushikulya and Rushikulya-Bansadhara River linking projects on top priority to save both farmers of Ganjam, Nayagarh, Khurda and Gajapati district from impending agriculture disaster and to save Brahmapur city from drinking water scarcity. The fear of any ecological imbalance is absurd and negligible, compared to benefit the society would derive from success of the proposals, he added.

“The Government of India and the State should provide adequate budgetary support on priority to implement the schemes, failing which the farmers will go for further agitation in a democratic way to protect their interest,” he cautioned.