Bhubaneswar : Four left parties of Odisha on Tuesday appealed to the state government to hold discussions with the people protesting the mega piped water project over Kharasrota river.
Addressing a joint press conference here, CPI State Secretary Ashis Kanungo, Forward Block state Secretary Jyoti Mohapatra, Suresh Panigrahi of CPI-M and Radhakanta Sethi of CPI(ML) Liberation said the government should suspend the construction work of the project till a consensus arrived at with the people protesting against the project.
Condemning the police atrocities on ‘’ innocent’’ villagers the left leaders urged the government to release all the persons arrested by the police while protesting against the construction of mega piped water project at Bharigada in Kendrapara district
They said the claim of the state government that the project is being constructed to provide drinking water to three blocks of the neighbouring Bhadrak district is not true.
The main objective of the government, the left leaders alleged, is to provide drinking water to
Dhamra port of Adani and other companies at Dhamra.
They alleged that the project is being constructed ignoring the water ratio of Kharasrota river, water distress in the nearby areas and its impact on agriculture, environment, and also its impact on the bio diversity of Bhitarkanika National Park.
The left leaders said the people of Aul and Rajkanika have been agitating since 1971 for water from Kharasrota river for irrigation and drinking water.
At present they are agitating, apprehending that the construction of the project would turn the river bed dry and increase the salinity .They are also demanding construction of a barrage at the downstream of the river.
