Bhubaneswar, Aug 3: By protesting the ongoing project work by the Chhattisgarh government on Mahanadi River and denouncing the All-Party meet held today, BJD had declared to stop all the goods train to Chhattisgarh on August 3. Following this decision, BJD activists today, staged strikes at various railway stations all over the State, and stopped all the goods trains to Chhattisgarh. They also staged a hunger strike in front of the Central Water Commission’s (CWS) office at Bhubaneswar.
Demonstration in front of the trains and the blocking of rail tracks by party workers had also been seen today at Berhampur, Raja Athagarh, Sambalpur, Bolangir, Rourkela and Jharsuguda. Meanwhile, Ministers Sanjay Dasburma, Devi Mishra, Ashok Panda and other leaders have also been seen protesting in front of the CWC office, against ‘back door’ clearance to Kelo project by Chhattisgarh Government. The BJD’s hunger strike would continue for 100 days, informed Sanjay Dasburma, President of Biju Yuva Janta Dal.
Industries Minister Devi Mishra termed this as a political gimmick and said that BJD will not attend the All-Party meet, though other parties like CPI, CPI (M) would attend the meet.
Meanwhile, from BJP’s side, the party general secretary Bhurgu Baxipatra in his statement said that, all information regarding Kelo project had been shared with Odisha in 2006 and regarding this three documents had also been exchanged between Odisha and Chhattisgarh government. The internal communication and discussion had also been done between two States. A letter (memo number-33351) had been issued to EIC, Odisha Water Resources department, by C V Prasad, the chief engineer of Project Planning and Formulation (Odisha), he further informed.
Further by condemning this type of act of BJD, Baxipatra said that chief secretary and other government officials are being used as BJD’s party members. He also mentioned that Odisha still has time to take legal action to save the Mahanadi.
In the same way, it was also seen that the Odisha Students Leaders’ Forum protested the Chhattisgarh move in an innovative way by observing ‘Jal Satyagraha’ and entered into knee-deep water in Mahanadi River at Jobra, Cuttack.
