Odishatv Bureau

Cuttack: Elaborate arrangements are in full swing at a place near Gadakhai Padia in the Millennium city here from where the ruling BJD is scheduled to kick off its Mahanadi Bachao Signature Campaign from Friday.

The signature campaign would be inaugurated by the BJD supremo and chief minister Naveen Patnaik.

As per the schedule, senior BJD leaders, ministers and thousands of party workers from Cuttack district would take part in the Kalash Yatra by the women which will be inaugurated by the chief minister at the venue near Gadakhai Padia.

Keeping the visit of the chief minister, the commissionerate police has made elaborate security arrangements.

“We have been told that there would be a congregation of 10,000-15,000 people at the scheduled venue and accordingly security arrangements have been made,” DCP Sanjeev Arora told media persons here.

Notably, the chief minister, at a preparatory meeting in Bhubaneswar three days ago, had said it seems that the Centre lacks sincerity in resolving the issue between Odisha and Chhattisgarh. He said he had attended the tripartite meeting convened by the Centre after consulting various political parties, organisations, experts and eminent personalities with regard to Mahanadi issue and urged the Centre to stop the construction work of all projects in the upper stream of Mahanadi in Chhattisgarh. But the Centre extended its tacit support to the Chhattisgarh government due to political affiliation. “Later I had written a letter to the Prime Minister requesting him to intervene in the matter, there has been no response from the Prime Minister till date,” he had said.

He said due to the gross apathy of the Centre, BJD has decided to launch a signature campaign across the state from November 11. The party will form a 400-km mega human chain from Hirakud to Paradip. “The objective of forming the human chain is a part of the campaign of the BJD to make people aware of the Mahanadi issue,” Patnaik had stated.

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