Bhubaneswar: Odisha on Tuesday adopted a soft stand on the multi-purpose Polavaram dam project being constructed by the AP government on the Godavari, and sought an amicable solution in the Supreme Court.
Mr Gopal Subramanium, representing the Odisha government, stressed the problems that the state would face if the AP government completed the project and raised concerns over allowing it to increase the height of the dam.
Odisha reiterated that the project would cause permanent injury to the interests of the state as it would face several problems, including submergence of tribal land, flooding of agricultural land and mass displacement of villagers, especially in Malkangiri district.
The next hearing will be held in February. The Polavaram project aims to construct a dam on the Godavari in West Godavari district to divert large quantities of water through a 174-km link canal to the Krishna and other rivers.
Earlier, Odisha had taken a hard stance against allowing land within the state’s boundary to be inundated due to the project.
“We will not allow any area of Odisha to be inundated due to the Polavaram project. We have been opposing the project in the neighbouring state since the beginning,” Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had said on August 28, 2010.
The Odisha government had even knocked the door of National Green Tribunal before going to the Supreme Court seeking justice on the Polavaram issue. Odisha fears about 25 villages in Malkangiri district will be inundated by Polavaram project.
