Koraput, Nov 25: People likely to be displaced by the Polavaram project being undertaken by the Andhra Pradesh government have demanded immediate stoppage of work on the project, during a national-level rally organized in Koraput in which affected people from 4 states participated.
Around 4 lakh people from Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Telengana will be displaced by the project. More than hundreds of villages under Kalimela, Padia, Korkunda, and Mathili blocks will be affected. The protestors thus demanded immediate halt to the project work and a proper survey of the areas affected by it. This was said by convener of Lokashakti Abhiyan, Prafulla Samantray and the president of All India Kishan Mazdoor Sabha, Palli Venkatramaiya. As per Odisha government’s argument, the project will affect 25 villages, 7,600 hectares of land and 6,800 tribals of the State.
While on the other hand, the Union Minister of State for Water Resources Uma Bharti, based on the data provided by the Andhra Pradesh government said that on the completion of the project Odisha will be receiving 142 cubic million water which will help Odisha to irrigate 30,000 hectare land or provide water to 30 lakh people. In the meantime, the ruling-BJD in Odisha has pledged its support to the displaced people.
