Bhubaneswar: Reiteirating its demand that Chhattisgarh should open the gates of Kalma barrage till further orders of the Mahanadi Water Dispute Tribunal, the Mahanadi Banchao Andolan outfit has decided to launch 'Kalma Chalo Abhiyan' during the last week of May, informed Convenor of the outfit, Sudarsan Das, in a presser in Bhubaneswar today.
Das said that Mahanadi is facing serious threat due to closure of 64 gates of Kalma Barrage by the Chhattisgarh government and therefore there is a need to open all gates of the barrage. The campaign would pressurise the neighbouring State to stop unilateral construction of barrages upstream Mahanadi, he added.
Earlier on April 10, the Mahanadi Banchao Andolan to launch 'Kalma Chalo' campaign had launched a signature campaign and padyatra from Lingaraj Temple in Bhubaneswar protesting the delay by the Central government in issuance of terms of reference for the Mahanadi Water Dispute Tribunal and ongoing construction work on upstream Mahanadi by the Chhattisgarh government. The move was supported by several political parties including the BJD and Congress.
On April 11, the outfit started its padyatra from Kalma demanding opening of gates of Kalma barrage. Das had informed that the flow of water into Hirakud Dam Reservior (HDR) has been substantially affected due to closure of all the gates of the barrage.