BJP Accuses Odisha Govt of Apathy Over Banshadhara Project In Rayagada District

Rayagada: The BJP’s state unit has demanded that the Odisha government must immediately start constructing a barrage over Banshadhara river at Panidangara in Rayagada district.

The demand came after a BJP team led by the party’s state unit vice-president, Bhrugu Buxipatra, visited the area.

Buxipatra said the Odisha government laid the foundation stone of the Panidangara project in 2004 and the same year, the Andhra Pradesh government began building barrages on Banshadhara.

Between 2004 and 2021, Andhra Pradesh constructed several projects and utilised the river water for agriculture. Unfortunately, Odisha government representatives have not even bothered to visit the area in the past 17 years, leave alone starting the construction of the Panidangara project, he alleged.

“The project will not only become a befitting reply to the Neradi project by the Andhra government, but also resolve the regional disparity in south Odisha. It will also benefit the farmers, tribals and daily labourers in Rayagada, Gajapati and Ganjam districts,” the BJP leader said.

“The only way to check the possible damage that the Neradi project would wreck in these three districts will be the Panidangara project. The construction of this project will deal a blow to Andhra Pradesh, which is trying to grab vast patches of land from our state,” he added.

Buxipatra said the Banshadhara Water Dispute Tribunal’s verdict on June 21 tilted in favour of the Andhra government, which was allowed to construct the Neradi barrage across the river with ancillary structures.

“This was due to the Odisha government’s failure in presenting its arguments with proper presentation of data,” he alleged.

Buxipatra further said the BJP team, which also comprised Paralakhemundi MLA K Narayan Rao, former MP Jayaram Pangi and the district party presidents of Rayagada and Gajajati, visited the upstream and downstream of Banshadhara at Panidangara, Gudari and Gunupur and assessed the possible damage to the districts due to the Neradi project as well as the possible benefits of the Panidangara project in those areas.

“We will submit a detailed report in this regard to the state party president and future course of action will be taken accordingly,” he said.

Echoing the allegation against the Odisha government, the Paralakhemundi MLA said, “Due to the sheer apathy of our government, the neighbouring state was able to conduct the zilla parishad and panchayat elections within the territory of Odisha,” he added.

The MLA claimed the Andhra Pradesh government is all set to lay the foundation stone of the Neradi project following a visit by three ministers to the area on Friday. “Unfortunately, the Odisha government had no information about their visit. This speaks volumes of the failure of the intelligence network of our government,” Rao pointed out.

Maintaining that the Banshadhara tribunal has delivered a one-sided judgment in favour of Andhra Pradesh, Rao urged the Odisha government to file a special leave petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court to obtain a stay order on the project.