Polavaram project : Odisha govt says it will act after details are available

Reported by Chinmaya Dehury

Bhubaneswar, May 3:

A day after the ruling Biju Janata Dal reacted sharply against the Union cabinet’s nod to the idea of setting up an autonomous Polavaram Project Authority (PPA) to expedite the process of environmental and investment clearances for the controversial Polavaram multi-purpose project, Odisha chief secretary JK Mohapatra today said the government is awaiting the details of the Union cabinet’s report and appropriate steps will be taken after examining it.

“We are awaiting the details of the Union cabinet decision on the Polavaram project. Once we get the report, it will be placed before the government. If necessary, the report will be placed before the Supreme Court, which is hearing a number of cases on controversial project,” Mohapatra told reporters here.

He said the government is examining once again the number of people who would be affected in Malkangiri district once the project comes up.

On Friday, the BJD, which has been opposing the project, had trained its gun at Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi for backing the project coming up in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh for narrow political reasons.

The project has been stoutly opposed by neighbouring states of Odisha and Chhatisgarh on a number of grounds including inundation of their areas and displacement of tribal population.

The Polavaram Project Authority (PPA), which will function under the Union Water Resources Ministry, is meant to fast-track the project by clearing all hurdles, legal or otherwise. However, the project is still under litigation at the apex court and the PPA is least likely to achieve any significant results unless the matter is settled by the court.