Elaborating on his role and experience about the steps taken for the rehabilitation operations undertaken post 1999 Super Cyclone, the former first citizen of the State said he has mentioned all these things in his book ‘Service Uninterrupted’.
He also said that he had advised the then government to utilise 85 percent of the State’s water resources which was going unutilised i.e. flowing back into the sea.
“The State has registered a huge development in the field of health and education. But when it comes to harnessing the water resources, a lot is still left to be desired,” said Rajendran.
“At least, small check dams can be constructed on tributaries and they would have scheduled benefits of conserving the water and increasing the ground water level,” the former Govenor added.
Rajendran on Friday said he has gifted a copy of his literary work to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. While the book’s 55 percent is about his time spent in Odisha, the rest 45 percent describes several incidents and events during his service period as an Indian Administrative Officer in Tamil Nadu and Delhi, said the ex-Governor.
At the meeting held under the chairmanship of Union Minister of State for Water Resources, Odisha’s Food and Consumer Welfare Minister Surya Narayan Patro alleged that Chhattisgarh government is trying to stop Mahanadi water by constructing barrages and number of projects.
“We have raised the issue of barrage construction on Mahanadi by Chhattisgarh,” said Patro.
Patro also accused Chhattisgarh of violating NGT order as it has floated a tender for construction of Sirpur-Mohamela barrage.
The State also demanded the Centre to share the Terms of Reference (ToR) for Mahanadi Tribunal, informed sources.
The Union Minister of State for Water Resources, Arjun Ram Meghwal had convened the meeting with the ministers and high-level officials of five eastern states - West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.
At present, there are separate tribunals for the Cauvery, the Narmada, the Krishna and other rivers existing in the country and the formation of the Mahanadi tribunal is in progress, he said.
"Instead of having so many tribunals, a single national tribunal has been proposed in the Interstate River Disputes Act Amendment Bill, 2017 which has already been placed in the Lok Sabha," he added.
Chhattisgarh’s Water Resources Minister, Brijmohan Agarwal on the other hand raised the issue of Indirabati barrage constructed by Odisha and alleged that it is being deprived of water from the dam.
Apart from Mahanadi, Odisha also objected arbitrary construction of barrages and dams upstream of river Brahmani's two tributaries Shankh and South Koel by Jharkhand.
Earlier in the day, Odisha Water Resources Minister Niranjan Pujari, in reply to a question of BJP MLA Dilip Ray in the Odisha Assembly, said Chhattisgarh has constructed over 1000 small irrigation, eight mega, 29 medium projects and 371 anicuts upstream Mahanadi.
The eastern bench of the NGT rapped the Chhattisgarh government for not appearing before the court and has also issued an ultimatum warning of ‘one-sided’ verdict if it does not appear before the court and furnish reply.
Similarly, the NGT has ordered the Odisha government to prepare a list of all projects approved by Chhattisgarh government in the past 5 years.
“The bench of the NGT has expressed their displeasure of lack of response from Chhattisgarh and have given another date on which if it does not find any satisfactory reply will take adverse steps,” said petitioner Sudarsan Mohapatra.
The five-year project will directly impact 1.54 mn vulnerable SC-ST households.
GCF will provide a grant of 34 million USD to Government of Odisha through NABARD. The project will impact 5.2 million vulnerable food insecure households in 15 priority districts with high level of food insecurity, water scarcity and high climatic stress (present and future scenario) and with high proportion of vulnerable SC-ST population. A total of 2.59 million of this population are males and 2.6 million are females. They account for 12 percent of the entire population of the state.
The project was conceptualized by Department of Water Resources and under the direct supervision of Principal Secretary Water Resources. The project document was prepared by leading climate change advisory firm CTRAN under the climate innovation program of ACT (a DFID funded Program).
“If the Chief Minister proves that 35 per cent land is irrigated in the district, I will resign from the Opposition leader post or else Patnaik should step down from the CM post immediately,” Mishra stated in the House during a debate on the demand for grants of Water Resources department.
Raising similar concerns, BJP legislature party leader KV Singh Deo claimed less than 35 per cent agricultural land in 198 blocks has been provided with irrigation facilities. He also asked the State government to table a white paper on Mahanadi and Polavaram river water issues.
Also Read: Odisha approves Rs 1,796.27-cr projs under irrigation scheme
Meanwhile, presenting a replying on behalf of the Chief Minister, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Bikram Keshari Arukha said 35 percent land has been irrigated in 99 blocks out of 198 blocks whereas geographical limitations are hindering the facilitation of the irrigation in19 remaining blocks.
On the river water issue, Arukha said the State has taken a legal recourse to address the matter and sought the Supreme Court's help.
Talking to newsmen, Arukha informed the government has targeted to irrigate 2.95 lakh hectare land in the current year. "A budgetary provision of Rs 100 crore has been made to complete 61 small irrigation projects. Apart from this, 17,000 deep tube wells will be established to help in better irrigation," the minister added.
The House passed total Rs 9,199. 68 crore demand for grants of the Water Resources department in the day.
Sources reported that by blocking of water at the gates of the barrage has noticeably reduced the water flow in the lower catchment of the barrage and into the Hirakud reservoir in Odisha.
Locals from Bargaon village near the barrage have alleged that they are not getting enough water for farming and the fishermen’s livelihood is also in danger.
“Most of the water is being used by industries. We get no water to sustain our livelihood,” said a local fisherman.
The ruling-BJD in Odisha has come down heavily on the Centre and the Chhattisgarh government for such blocking of Mahanadi water. Moreover, the State government has also raised questions before both the governments on such tactics.
Also Read: Odisha mulls gauge site after Chhattisgarh shuts Kalma dam gates
While BJD has said that it will move the court in this regard, the Odisha BJP pledged its support for the interests of the people of the State.
“If anyone is trying to dry out the Mahanadi River, then it is the BJP government in Chhattisgarh and the Odisha BJP is indirectly supporting it. If they do not take our complaint seriously then the State government will be forced to consider other alternatives including moving the court,” said BJD spokesperson, Rabi Narayan Nanda.
“This is a tussle between two governments. Hence the BJD should not do politics over it. But the Odisha BJP will try and ensure that the interests of the State is not harmed,” said BJP’s chief spokesperson, Sajjan Sharma.
While replying to BJD MP, Balabhadra Majhi’s question on the project, Balyan also told that the project was based on the 1980 agreement between Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
Raising the Polavaram issue, Majhi questioned as to how the project was declared as a National project by the Centre without conducting ‘Palli Sabhas’ or ‘Gram Sabhas.’
“I cannot understand how the project work is going on without conducting a Palli Sabha in Odisha and Chhattisgarh. This is against the Constitution. My question is how the work is going on without Palli Sabha,” said Majhi.
Also Read: No compromise on Mahanadi, Polavaram issues: Naveen
Replying to Majhi, Balyan informed the house that on June 2, 2016, a meeting was called by the Water Resources ministry and the two states were informed about public hearing.
“The project was declared a National Project in 2014. The project is in progress. Around 221 villages of Andhra Pradesh are affected by the project. Till now, the public hearing and Gram Sabhas are yet to begin in Odisha and Chhattisgarh. A meeting was convened on June 2, 2016 and the governments of the two states were told to begin public hearing as soon as possible because the project is in an advanced stage. The matter is also sub judice in Supreme Court. The three state governments had agreed on the project in 1980. Hence, it won’t be right to stop this project at this stage. But at the same time, if there are any problems that will be faced by Odisha or Chhattisgarh, then the Central government will extend all help,” said Balyan.
Padhi has also requested the neighbouring State to release the required amount of water needed for Odisha through the projects that have already been completed.
According to sources, the letter from the chief secretary mentions the amount of water that Chhattisgarh is currently using and the effects of future water usage on Odisha. The letter also informs the Chhattisgarh government about the petition filed by Odisha government with the Union Water Resources ministry and the demand for formation of a tribunal to settle the dispute.
Also Read: Odisha to move SC if Centre is averse to formation of tribunal
“We have asked them to stop work on all the ongoing projects and to release the desired amount of water through the completed barrages. We have requested them to act immediately,” said Padhi.
On the other hand, BJP and BJD confronted each other on the demand for a tribunal and the letter of the chief secretary.
“We will take the necessary steps required in all the issues. We will move the court, we will approach the central government and will also place our demands before the Chhattisgarh government. If required we will also take to the streets,” said BJD spokesperson Rabi Narayan Nanda.
“We are bearing the brunt of state government’s attempt to politicise the matter and everyone is facing humiliation. The easy and the swift way to ensure that the work is stopped on the projects is through discussions,” said BJP’s Prithwiraj Harichandan.
“Odisha government has filed a complaint petition under Section 3 of the Interstate River Water Disputes Act, 1956 in which we have urged the Centre to form a dispute tribunal. Section 3 of the Act is important because it has a provision wherein one affected party or both can request the Government of India to set up a tribunal to settle the rights of the individual states. We have followed the due process and submitted the petition. We have also requested the Union government to direct the Chhattisgarh government to stop work on the ongoing projects during the pendency of the petition. Along with our petition we have provided detailed information in a 700-page document which contains all historical facts and data over the past 30-40 years. The document also highlights how the projects undertaken by Chhattisgarh will affect Odisha and why the state is harbouring apprehensions. Filing of the petition is a legal step and we are hopeful that the Centre will act expeditiously on the same. We have full faith that our case of Mahanadi is quite strong and we will get relief,” said Jena.
Also Read: Mahanadi row: Odisha files petition for formation of tribunal
On the other hand, Odisha BJP criticized the State government for its double standards on the issue and accused it of lacking intent to resolve the issue quickly.
“We had earlier advised the State government to hold discussions under the mediation of the Central government which will result in swift resolution of the matter. BJD had arranged a bilateral meeting with the Chhattisgarh government but, the CM came out of the meeting and said that he is not satisfied and will take legal steps. Today I want to ask if the CM had earlier said that it does not have faith on the Central government, then why once again the State government has approached the central government for a tribunal. Today we want to reiterate that the State government should either approach the Supreme Court and get a stay on the projects or pursue dialogue with Chhattisgarh to resolve the issue,” said BJD leader Prithviraj Harichandan.
“The Hirakud dam was built as a flood protection measure. Odisha is using more water than what was stipulated in the agreement while Hirakud dam was built. Once this fact is out, Odisha government will be exposed and I think it is doing politics over Mahanadi water issue and is not interested in resolving the problem,” said Brijmohan.
In reply to Brijmohan’s statement the ruling-BJD spokesperson, Pratap Deb, said “Odisha has nothing to hide and if anyone will be exposed, it will be the Chhattisgarh government. Chhattisgarh is providing more water from Mahanadi to industries by building six barrages on the upstream of Mahanadi than what Odisha is using from the Hirakud dam.”
Meanwhile, Congress has criticized both the Odisha and Chhattisgarh government.
“Even we are of the opinion that Odisha government is doing politics over the Mahanadi water issue. The Chhattisgarh Chief Minister and its ministers might be giving such haphazard and misleading statements for the interest of their State. How can they say such things without proper facts? The water flow during non-monsoon season will be affected by the projects it is building,” said Leader of Opposition Congress.
On the other hand, as per the data available on the Central Water Commission (CWC), Basantpur’s website, the water flow into Hirakud dam has declined during non-monsoon season. As per the CWC statistics, while 2296 million cubic meter water flowed into Hirakud dam during 1991 and 2001, it declined to 1763 million cubic meter between 2001 and 2011. Between 2011 and 2015, 1301 million cubic meter of water has flown into Hirakud dam.
“Part of the decline in water inflow into Hirakud dam can be attributed to reduced rainfall. However, if barrages are built to supply water to the industries then there is a high probability that the water inflow will decline substantially during non-monsoon periods,” said retired engineer-in-chief Ramesh Tripathy.
Talking to media persons at the State Secretariat here today, chief secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi said a meeting between the Odisha government and Chhattisgarh government over Mahanadi issue was held in New Delhi on July 29 in which the latter had assured to give the details of the projects which have been completed and which are underway within 15 days.
“The Odisha government had sought details from Chhattisgarh about monthly utilisation of water from completed projects and under construction projects which are in the pipeline. Besides, the state government had also sought detailed reports on the amount of water the neighbouring state would require from these projects in future for private, industrial and thermal power use. Though the Chhattisgarh government had assured us to give the detailed information within 15 days of the meeting, we are yet to receive any information till date. We have sent a reminder to the Chhattisgarh government on this matter and informed the Central Water Commission (CWC) accordingly,” Padhi said.
“We need official data from the Chhattisgarh government so that the impact assessment on the use of water can be done properly. After we get the data, our engineering wing will do a thorough analysis. In fact, we have been reviewing the data received from different sources. But we need official data from the Chhattisgarh government. It does not matter whether the Chhattisgarh government provides us the data or the Centre provides the data after collecting it from the Chhattisgarh government. Once we get these official data, we will be able to make a correct assessment after which we will decide our own strategy to counter this issue,” Water Resources secretary Pradeep Jena told the media today.
On the other hand, the BJD has decided to submit an interim report on its recent visit to Chhattisgarh.
“During the visit of the BJD delegation, the Chhattisgarh government had promised us to provide detailed information we had sought about the projects. But as it has not provided us any information so far, we have decided to submit an interim report to the chief minister,” School and Mass Education minister Debi Prasad Mishra said.
He also said for a complete report, BJD will request the Congress to provide the data it had collected during its visit to Chhattisgarh. “Apart from this, we will also ask some NGOs, which had visited Chhattisgarh recently, for info,” he added.
Meanwhile, spurred by the success of the Odisha bandh, the Congress has prepared a road map to stage a series of agitations across the state on the Mahanadi issue.
“May be we can stage agitation at the panchayat level or block level. We have also planned a mass agitation along the Mahanadi basin. We are ready to discharge our duty as an Opposition party,” PCC spokesperson Sarat Rout said.
On the other hand, the BJP has decided to come up with a white paper on Mahanadi issue. “If the state government is reluctant to release a white paper on Mahanadi, BJP will release a white paper basing on the information it has and reveal the truth to the people of Odisha,” BJP spokesperson Sajjan Sharma said in a press briefing here today.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has directed the Water Resources department to prepare a comprehensive river policy in the next three months, a statement from the Chief Minister's Office. Patnaik said several barrages will be constructed on the Mahanadi river to store water which will be utilised for agricultural purposes as well as providing drinking water. The barrages will be constructed where there is less possibility of displacement.
Official sources said the Odisha government is preparing a master plan to utilise the Mahanadi's waters by constructing as many as seven barrages in the downstream of the river and 22 barrages on tributaries and distributaries of the river.
The government would also spend Rs 400 crore in next three years for concrete lining of the Bargarh main canal, the statement said, adding the Chief Minister also advised to start the tendering process of the Gangadhar Meher Megalift Canal System in three months.
"A total of 50.435 BCM (Billion Cubic Metres) water storage was available in 91 major reservoirs in the country for the week ending on April 6, which is 32 per cent of the total storage capacity of these reservoirs. It was recorded at 33 per cent on March 30," said a ministry statement.
It said that the water storage noted on April 6 this year was 129 per cent of the storage of corresponding period in 2016 and 105 per cent of storage of average of last ten years.
The total storage capacity of the 91 reservoirs is 157.799 BCM, about 62 per cent of the total storage capacity of 253.388 BCM which is estimated to have been created in the country, the statement said.
The statement further said that 37 of these 91 reservoirs have hydropower benefit with installed capacity of more than 60 MW.
In the northern region -- which includes Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan -- there are six reservoirs with storage capacity of 18.01 BCM while the available live storage is 4.28 BCM -- 24 per cent of total storage capacity.
The Eastern region -- which comprises Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal and Tripura -- there are 15 reservoirs having storage capacity of 18.83 BCM but the live storage available in these reservoirs is 9.74 BCM, which is 52 per cent of the total capacity.
The similar situation is in the Western region -- which includes Gujarat and Maharashtra -- where 27 reservoirs have storage capacity of 27.07 BCM but the current storage in these reservoirs is 11.07 BCM -- 41 per cent of storage capacity.
The Central region, including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, has 12 reservoirs with storage capacity of 42.30 BCM but the live storage available in these reservoirs is 18.76 BCM which is 44 per cent of total storage capacity.
In the Southern region -- which includes Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu -- there are 31 reservoirs with total storage capacity of 51.59 BCM but the live storage available in these reservoirs is 6.58 BCM which is 13 per cent of total storage capacity.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, the PCC President urged him to ensure formation of an Inter-State River Water Dispute Tribunal and direct the Chhattisgarh government to stop all construction on the Mahanadi river and its tributaries.
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"I would urge upon you to keep aside narrow political considerations and play an active role which is imperative to safeguard the genuine interest of Odisha and basic co-operative federal ethos and principles," said Harichandan in the letter.
He said the construction of a number of projects on the Mahanadi and its tributaries will deprive the people of Odisha their due share of water.
"Such unilateral construction undertaken by the Chhattisgarh government amounts to gross breach of principles of cooperative federalism that our Constitution envisages," he pointed out.
He blamed the Centre for doing little to resolve the issue.
The PCC President also took a dig at Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for "betraying the trust of people of Odisha".
"For years together he remained silent on the issue and even when people reacted angrily against his inept handling of the issue, he initiated measures half-heartedly only to befool the people of the state," said Harichandan.
In a separate letter to the Odisha Chief Minister, the state Congress President said the Chhattisgarh government carried out construction activities because of sheer administrative and political callousness of the Odisha government.
"Not that you (Naveen Patnaik) did not know about the settled mechanism of dispute resolution of inter-state river dispute, but you cared little to invoke the same on time, as you felt that demonstration by the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in the state against the Centre would ensure the formation of the Tribunal.
"It was only after you realised that the demonstration was not serving your political interests and the people of Odisha were getting sufficiently angry realising your scheming political ploy, you resorted to writing the letter under reference," said Harichandan.