Subhas Chandra Pattanayak
Mother Nature had taken millions of years to create iron, bauxite and other precious ores. It is wrong on part of any government elected for five years to exhaust this natural wealth hand-in-glove with private industries, completely oblivious of future generations and their share on natural resources. Therefore, indigenous Oriyas are opposing allocation of land and mines to POSCO and Vedanta and their likes by Navin Patnaik’s government sans care for the future.
This does not mean that the BJD is wrong in its movement against Polavaram
Polavaram is set to push Orissa into jeopardy notwithstanding what the Manmohan Singh government echoing Andhra is saying.
We have already said and we are sure, had Biju Patnaik and Navin Patnaik not neglected to act in right earnest in right time, this project would never have proceeded to catch central approval.
But this doesn’t mean we shall not support the present BJD stand against Polavaram.
We are sure; Orissa will be severely affected by this project. It is good that even though delayed, Orissa’s ruling party has woke up against this danger to Orissa.
The project should forthwith be stayed. Delay in opposition to Polavaram is a technical point. No technical point should have any overriding effect on matters that affect the people of a State and their future generations. Projects like Polavaram should not be given green signal by the Union Government till people of the neighboring States agree to it wholeheartedly. Technology should be explored to use the river water for every purpose Polavaram project is meant for, but no forest and farm land and no human habitat be allowed to be submerged or destroyed.
In the name of development of one State, people of another State must not be put to permanent jeopardy.
Andhra should not press on proceeding with the project. It should appreciate that a massive number of its inhabitants are also opposing the project. It is also being opposed to by Chatishgarh.
If the Union Government does not stop this project till at least all the neighboring States are convinced that their people will not be adversely affected, national integration of India will be severely threatened.
Let such development not occur.