Odisha Television: Bhubaneswar: Friday,
September 23, 2016.
Soon after
Odisha Television’s report on how guidelines were flouted in granting national
project status to Polavaram project, mudslinging has ensued between the
political parties in Odisha. While BJP argued that it was the UPA-led central
government which made Polavaram a national project as per the terms of Andhra
bifurcation, Congress refuted the allegations claiming that the granted status
was conditional during its government and it was the current BJP-led NDA central government which flouted the
guidelines and approved assistance for the project.
According to
BJP, its NDA government at the Centre has only ‘honoured’ what the outgoing UPA
government had agreed during the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh State. In retaliation,
Odisha Congress clarified that the national project status was granted on the
condition that the project should not adversely affect the interest of Odisha
and Chhattisgarh. However, the current BJP-led NDA government violated the
norms by granting financial assistance to the said project.
“The NDA
government which is at the Centre is only carrying out the sovereign agreement
made by the UPA government. However, if there are any prescribed norms which
have not been followed then they should be adhered to strictly,” said Odisha
BJP’s legislature party leader KV Singhdeo.
“The UPA
government had made a condition the project should not hurt the interests of
the Odisha at any cost. The NDA government has blatantly violated all the rules
and regulations and has granted financial assistance to the project,” said
Taraprasad Bahinipati of Odisha Congress.
Meanwhile,
the BJD has taken this opportunity to take a swipe at both BJP and Congress
arguing that none of the parties are concerned about the interests of the
people of Odisha.
“There are
possibilities that the project will submerge villages, forest land and will
adversely affect tribal people in the nearby areas. The NDA government like
that of its predecessor UPA-led central government has totally turned a blind
eye to the interests of Odisha,” said Transport Minister Ramesh Majhi.
Notably,
information obtained through RTI Act revealed that the Polavaram project was
awarded national project status by sidestepping the prescribed guidelines of
the Union Water Resources department.
As per the
prescribed guidelines, in order to grant a national project status, a project
should fulfill the eligibility criteria required for funding under Accelerated
Irrigation Benefit Program (AIBP) including the investment clearance of the
Planning Commission. However, no such clearance has been obtained in case of
Polavaram project.
Moreover, as
per the guidelines “On receipt of a proposal from the State government for
inclusion of a project as National Project, the ministry of water resources may
send a team of officers to the project site with a view to make assessment of
the present status of the project and to firm up the plans for its completion
in a specified time frame.” Furthermore, the guidelines prescribe that a team
should also review the losses that could be on account of the project.
However, in
case of Polavaram no such visit and review were carried out by any team.
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