Odisha govt’s mega piped water project on Kharasrota river will spell doom for Bhitarkanika national Park-Rajendra Singh

Kendrapara : Water conservation activist and Magsaysay award winner -Rajendra Singh has expressed his solidarity with environmentalist Srikant Nayak sitting on a fast on to death for the last 15 days opposing the mega drinking water project at Bhariguda on river Kharasrota to provide water to Bhadrak.
Mr Singh said the project will spell doom for the flora and fauna of Bhitarkanika.
‘’We the activists, working for the river, water, and farmer have taken a vow on Monday at a National convention organized at Chennai to express our solidarity and to lend our support to the agitators in their fight to save kharasrota and to save the biodiversity of Bhitarkanika “, Mr Singh said.
‘’I want to tell the state government that the project is not going to benefit the state.
The state government, he said should understand that” I am a friend of Odisha and for which I am against the project “If water is drawn from here then the saline water from the sea would ingress into the river and it would spell its doom for the people, Mr Singh said.
If the state government did not stop the project, then “I will join with the people to fight against the project “, he said.
The Bhitarkanika bo-diversity would be disturbed if the project is implemented and it would be a great loss not only for the state but also for the country.
The state government, Mr Singh said should protect the eco-sensitivity zone of Bhitarkanika and stop the mega pipe water project.
The Waterman of India met the environmentalist, Srikant Nayak, who has been staging fast unto death agitation at the district Head Quarter hospital for the last 15 days.
He has been demanding the authorities to reconsider the decision to construct the mega drinking water project to provide water to Bhadrak and urged the authority to deploy a scientific team for analysing its impact on Bhitarkanika bio-diversity.
Mr Singh said it is unfortunate that the government is not taking any step to pursue Mr Nayak to withdraw his agitation. It shows the indifferent and insensible attitude of the state government, he remarked.
The Odisha government is more insensible than the British government. He said whenever Gandhiji resorted to agitation, the British government used to discuss with him and pursue him to withdraw his strike.
“I am very sad that though Mr Nayak has been sitting on fast to death for the last 15 days the state government has not taken any step to discuss with him to withdraw his agitation”, the Magsaysay award winner said.
Mr Sudarshan Das, the Convenor of Mahanadi Bachao Andolan, accompanied Mr Singh. said he has raised the kharasrota river issue at the National convention Chennai.
Mr Singh later participated in a meeting organised at Achyutpur by the Kharasrota Banchao Sangram Samiti (KBSS) and expressed his solidarity with the locals and protestors.
Former MLA of Aul, Dolagobinda Nayak, the adviser of KBSS and the former MLA of Aul, Debendra Sharma, senior Congress leader Dharanidhar Nayak also participated in the protest meeting.