Sambalpur, April 28: The BJP and BJD on Saturday blamed each other over the Mahanadi river water issue amid election campaigning.
The BJP launched a scathing attack on BJD yesterday blaming the ruling party’s negligence for drying of the lifeline of Odisha and water pollution.
The opposition party held a press meet at Mahanadi Ghat here in Ring Road and accused that Mahanadi river is crying out for attention as the ruling party in the state has done nothing to keep its water clean. “The river water is neither fit for drinking nor for bathing as all thewaste water is being discharged into the river,” said BJP leader Pramod Rath adding that the State Pollution Control Board has given ‘D’ grade to the water quality of Mahanadi.
Blaming to ruling party’s apathy for the lifeline of Odisha, Rath said the BJD government even did not build a barrage to store its water for the people depending on it in the lower catchment.
Apart from the waste water of Sambalpur city, all the small and big industries of Jharsuguda and Sambalpur districts are discharging chemical waste water directly into the river without any treatment that causing skin diseases when used for bathing, the BJP leaders said.
Though the Chhattisgarh government has made good use of water by constructing many small and big barrages in PPP mode without displacing people, the BJD government could not build even a small barrage on the river after ruling the state for 25 years, said Zonal spokesperson of BJP Manas Ranjan Baxi.
In response, the BJD targeted Union minister and Sambalpur Lok Sabha candidate of BJP Dharmendra Pradhan charging him with orchestrating a deliberate campaign against the state’s interests on the Mahanadi river water dispute.
BJD leader Sanjay Baboo accusing Pradhan said he became an arbiter of Raman Singh government to pave way for his Rajya Sabha entry from Chhattisgarh in 2018. He supported the activities of Chhattisgarh government for his own interests and did not pay attention for our state. The lives of many, especially the people of Sambalpur have been affected due to his anti-Odisha action.
The union minister has never spoken to the government at the Centre about the Mahanadi river issue. The party is just indulging in petty politics instead of focusing on constructive solutions, he alleged.
