Odisha CM takes stock of flood situation in Malkangiri, Nabarangpur districts

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday took stock of flood situation in Malkangiri and Nabarangpur districts through video conferencing with the collectors of these two districts.

Collector of Malkangiri D Prashant Kumar Reddy informed that at least 423 houses have been damaged due to the rain and roads between Malkangiri and Kalimela have been disrupted due to flash flood.

Though the intensity of rain has lessened in Malkangiri, about 600 people have been shifted to relief camps as their houses were damaged, the Collector said, adding the relief materials including dry food packets are being distributed among the affected families.

Nabarangpur Collector Rashmita Panda said the authorities have stocked adequate materials. The water level in Indravati and Bhaskel rivers were below danger level.

Patnaik asked both the collectors to assess the extent of damage and take steps for repair of damaged roads at the earliest.

Polavarm Politics

Orissa to challenge report on Polavaram in Supreme Court

BHUBANESWAR: Orissa government has decided to challenge the findings of Gopal Krishnan report on Pollavaram dam project in the Supreme Court. The Apex Court had manadated Gopal Krishnan to examine whether construction in Pollavaram is as per the law of the land.

The ruling Biju Janta Dal in Orissa in the recent past had organised a series of centre-bashing protest rallies across the state raking up the issue of clearance by the union ministry of environment and forest [MOEF] to the Andhra Pradesh government's Polavaram project over the Godavari river.

The BJD run Naveen Patnaik government has been maintaining that no public hearing was conducted in Malkangiri district before issuing environmental clearance to the project and the project violated Forest Conservation Act, 1980 so far as diversion of forest land for submergence was concerned. It also found many deficiencies in the procedures followed for the hydrology of the project and computation of backwater submergence, an official said here.

A high-level meeting held under chairmanship of Chief Secretary Bijay Kumar Patnaik here revealed that the proposed project would result in submergence of vast areas in the state. The project in its present state is in violation of Godavari Water Dispute Tribunal orders in which the design flood of the dam was limited to 36 lakh cusec. The project also included upstream projects like Inchampalli and Bhopalapatnam for moderating flood water at Pollavaram project, the officials said.

The Andhra Pradesh Government has not taken up these upstream projects. In the absence of the upstream projects Polavaram will be a large reservoir making huge backwater submergence in Odisha.
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Vedanta did not pay water bills: Orissa
September 05, 2011 10:04 IST

Vedanta Aluminum Ltd (VAL), already struggling to get environment and forest clearances for its Orissa projects, is now faced with a new challenge.

The state government's water resources department has alleged the company's Jharsuguda unit has not paid Rs 10.94 crore (Rs 109.4 million) of its bills, since 2008.

Vedanta has denied the charge, saying there is lack of clarity in the way the Orissa government is charging industry in the state.

The state government has given a list of water bill defaulting units to the high court in which VAL also figures. The company confirms the state government has raised the issue.

"There was a difference of opinion on the amount to be paid to the government, as we were not using water from the source allotted to us. When we started operations in 2008, the pipeline from the source was not ready, so we used water from a different source," a company official said.

Vedanta had approval from the state water development authority to draw up to 10 million gallons per day from the Bedan river. Though the company got approval, no agreement was signed.

"The government had said that there are dues of Rs 2 crore (Rs 20 million) during the period. Since there was no agreement, it is a violation, so they have imposed six times the penalty on Rs 2 crore (Rs 20 million)," the official added.

The Orissa government had allotted 30 million gallons per day (mg/d) for Vedanta's captive power plant and 20 mg/d to the Jharsuguda unit from the Hirakud dam.

Vedanta Aluminum Ltd (VAL), an associate company of the globally diversified Vedanta Resources Plc, operates a 500,000-tonne aluminium smelter presently in operation and a 1,215 Mw captive power plant in Jharsuguda. It is also commissioning an independent power plant of 2,400 Mw in Jharsuguda.

Its Lanjigarh unit, which operates a one-million tonne per annum aluminium plant, is also facing water trouble. The company was allotted five mg/d water from the nearby Tel river.

According to the Industrial Policy of 2001, benefit is given to an industry for setting up operations in remote locations.

A company can get a 25 per cent rebate if it uses water from a regulated source and 50 per cent rebate if it uses from unregulated sources.

VAL says it is eligible for a 50 per cent rebate but the state government is unwilling to give it. It has written to the industrial department to look again into the matter.

The company is also in talks with water resources department officials.

Chhattisgarh approaches SC against Polavaram dam

31 August 2011
press trust of india
NEW DELHI, 31 AUG: Chhattisgarh government has filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking its directions to restrain Andhra Pradesh from continuing construction of a dam on the river Godavari at Polavaram, saying the clearances given to the project are illegal and the project threatens the environment and tribals of the state.
Chhattisgarh is the second state after Orissa to move the apex court against the Polavaram project by AP government.
“The project will threaten valuable ecology and wildlife. The project will bring misery to thousands of tribals by submerging more than 300 villages in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Orissa,” Chhattisgarh government said.
The state contended around 2015.52 hectares of land falling in South Bastar, Dantewada in Chhattisgarh will be submerged by the dam and the environment clearances have been granted to the project without conducting public hearings in the area.
“Chhattisgarh is a tribal state. A very large population of tribals will be displaced due to submersion of areas. The area is a notified area under Schedule-V of the Constitution and therefore the permission of Gram Sabha is required under the PESA (Panchayat Extension to the Scheduled Areas Act),” the petition filed through advocate Mr Atul Jha said.
“In this regard, it may be noted that the ministry of tribal affairs, in its order dated 17 April, 2007, granting clearance to the Polavaram Project has noted that there had not been any consultation with the Gram Sabhas in the affected areas in the states of Chattisgarh and Orissa,” it added.
Chhattisgarh has sought “removal of all structures related to the Polavaram project”.
It pleaded the environment clearance, forest clearance, resettlement and rehabilitation clearance and Central Water Commission's clearance granted to the project should be declared illegal and null and void.
“The project proposals were suitable in the times when it was conceived (in 1978). But over the years, many changes have taken place in the society and its priorities. The proposed displacement of such a huge population and settlement is likely to cause degradation in their lives,” it said.
In its petition, Chhattisgarh questioned the legality of the Polavaram project saying its construction is in “blatant violation” of laws as well as the 1978 and 1980 agreements between Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh and the final award of 7July, 1980, passed by the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal.
“CWC (Central Water Commission) and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs have shown complete disregard to the Godavari Water Dispute Tribunal (GWDT) Award, 1980, and to illegally facilitate the construction of Polavaram dam at the cost of state of Chhattisgarh,” it said. “The Ministry of Tribal Affairs gave clearance on such a project formulation which are not part of GWDT Award. Therefore, the order dated April 17, 2007 (granting clearance) issued by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs is erroneous and needs to be cancelled,” it added.

Polavaram Politics

After Orissa now Chhatisgarh filed a petition in SC over Polavaram damhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

Report by OrissaDiary.com correspondent; Bhubaneswar: Chhattisgarh government has filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking its directions to restrain Andhra Pradesh from continuing construction of a Polavaram dam on river Godavari. In a petition filed before the Apex Court Chhatisgarh Govt. has said, the clearances given to the project are illegal and the project threatens the environment and tribals of the state.

Chhattisgarh is the second state after Orissa to move the apex court against the Polavaram.

"The project will threaten valuable ecology and wildlife. The project will bring misery to thousands of tribals by submerging more than 300 villages in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Orissa," Chhattisgarh government said.

Orissa is already filing a legal battle over Polavarm project. The Apex Court had already constituted M. GopalKJrishnan Committee to look into the matter. The Committee had submitted its report to the Supreme Court.

Chahtisgarh Govt. claimed that, around 2015.52 hectares of land falling in South Bastar, Dantewada in Chhattisgarh will be submerged by the dam and the environment clearances have been granted to the project without conducting public hearings in the area.

Sindol Imbrogilo

Protests against Orissa hydro-power projects intensify

Bhubaneswar, Aug 24 (IANS) Protests against three hydro power plants Orissa plans across river Mahanadi intensified with thousands of people Wednesday staging a massive demonstration at district headquarters town of Sambalpur, an organiser of the protesters said.

Carrying posters and banners and shouting slogans against the state government, people from all walks of life including hundreds of women and children took out a procession, conducted a public hearing of their own and rejected the government plan.

The people who came from three districts of Sambalpur, Boudh and Subarnapur also vowed to fight if the government pushes the projects forcibly.

Orissa state-run Hydro Power Corporation last month signed a pact with NHPC Ltd to set up the hydropower plants in a joint venture across river Mahanadi, in the three districts. The plants would be built in five years’ time with a combined investment of Rs.2,600 crore to generate 320 MW power.

State Energy Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak said the projects would be set up only after the consent of the local people.

However, those opposed said the projects will not only cause large scale displacements but also apprehended the reservoirs were planned to centralise storage of river water for supply to upcoming industries in the region.

‘The government has not disclosed the plans in detail. It is pushing the projects without making a comprehensive analysis of state’s water and energy scenario’, Ranjan Panda, convenor of Water Initiatives Orissa – a network of NGOs fighting on water related issues, told IANS.

Sindol

Sindol on BJP’s mind
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BHUBANESWAR: The BJP on Tuesday decided to oppose the Sindol hydro-electricity projects in the Monsoon Session of the Assembly commencing from Wednesday.

While the proposed projects are facing stiff opposition from people of four districts of Boudh, Sonepur, Sambalpur and Bargarh, the BJP Legislature Party slammed the Government for not taking the people and the Council of Ministers into confidence before announcing the projects.

“The Government should have taken up the approval of State Cabinet before signing an agreement with the National Hydro Power Corporation and the Orissa Hydro Power Corporation,” said Deputy Leader of the party in the Assembly Jayanarayan Mishra.

Facing Opposition from within the BJD, the Government will have a tough time to explain to the Opposition and ruling benches as well on the hurried manner in which the MoU was signed, he said.

With drought looming large in several districts due to erratic monsoon, the BJPLP slammed the Government for not having any contingency plan for the affected farmers.

The BJP will press for waiver of farm loan and supply of seeds and other agricultural inputs for rabi crop as an alternative measure, Mishra said.

The BJP is planning to corner the Government on the deteriorating law and order situation and the failing health services in the State.

The legislature party discussed the increasing Maoists activities in Balangir district and the Government failure to tackle the problem.

The meeting expressed concern over the threat call from a Maoist activist to the party leader in the Assembly KV Singhdeo and the murder of a BJD functionary by the Left wing extremists. Six legislators, including BJP supported Pratap Sarangi (Ind), attended the meeting. Bonai MLA Bhimsen Choudhury who was suspended from the party was absent.