'Jal Satygraha' in Cuttack to draw PM Modi's attention to Mahanadi dispute

Cuttack: Members of Mahanadi Banchao Andolan resorted to a unique protest ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Cuttack to draw his attention to the Mahanadi River water dispute.

The members of the outfit staged a silent 'Jal Satyagraha' and made special requests to PM to direct Raman Singh-led Chhattisgarh government to open the gates of Kalma barrage and release Mahanadi water.

Standing in knee-deep water of Mahandi River at Jobra with banners in hand, the activists of the outfit highlighted the alarming decline in the water-level of Mahandi in the State.

"We welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Odisha. Mahanadi is the lifeline of Odisha and the PM will hold a public meeting on the river bed. At present, the river is in a precarious state and it is dying a slow death due to the closure of gates of Kalma barrage," alleged Sudarsan Das, convenor of Mahanadi Banchao Andolan.

"We request the PM to instruct Chhattisgarh to open the gates of Kalma barrage," Das demanded.

Scuba diver Sabir Bux, who also joined the Jal Satyagraha said that declining water level of Mahanadi is an issue of great concern for not only the citizens of Cuttack but the entire State.