Mahanadi emerges as election issue in fight between BJP, BJD in Sambalpur

Sambalpur: A heated tussle has erupted between the BJP and the ruling BJD in Sambalpur over the controversial issue of Mahanadi river water.

The BJP on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the ruling party and accused it of inaction and neglecting the Mahanadi issue. BJD responded by targeting Union Minister and BJP’s Sambalpur Lok Sabha candidate Dharmendra Pradhan.
At a press conference at the Mahanadi Ghat in Sambalpur, BJP leader Pramod Rath said, the Mahanadi river is demanding attention because of the apathy of the BJD government. No efforts are being made to keep the river water clean. The water of the river is neither fit for drinking nor for bathing, because all the dirty water is being discharged into the river. He said that the State Pollution Control Board has given ‘D’ grade to the water quality of Mahanadi.

“Even after ruling for so many years, BJD has not taken any concrete steps. They could neither build a barrage nor convert it into a green zone. The people of Sambalpur are clearly dissatisfied with this,” said Rath.
The BJP further claimed that apart from the city’s waste water, all small and big industries in Jharsuguda and Sambalpur districts discharge chemical waste water directly into the river. There is no system to treat polluted water coming out of industries. Moreover, the damaged anicut near Ayodhya Sarovar Ghat in Sambalpur city has not been repaired for many years, resulting in all the weeds and algae coming in with the water and causing skin diseases when the latter is used for bathing. Yes, the saffron party claimed.

BJP regional spokesperson Manas Ranjan Baxi said that Chhattisgarh state and the BJD government were born at the same time.
“But the plans of the two governments are quite different. Chhattisgarh government has made good use of water by constructing many small and big barrages in PPP mode with zero displacement. On the other hand, after ruling the state for 25 years, the BJD government remembered Mahanadi during the 2017 panchayat elections. Chhattisgarh and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to hide their incompetence.

In response, BJD’s Sanjay Babu targeted Dharmendra Pradhan and accused him of deliberately campaigning against the interests of the state on the Mahanadi water dispute. Accusing Pradhan of trying to create discord for his own political gains, Babu said, “Everyone knows how in 2018 Pradhan became the middleman of the Raman Singh government to pave the way for his Rajya Sabha entry from Chhattisgarh. He supported all the activities in Chhattisgarh for his own self-interest and not for the land. “His anti-Odisha action has affected the lives of many people, especially the people of Sambalpur.”
The Union Minister never talked to the Central Government on the Mahanadi issue, but conspired to destroy the Mahanadi Tribunal. He alleged that they were just engaged in petty politics instead of focusing on constructive solutions.