By Our Correspondent
KENDRAPARA/RAJKANIKA: “Naveen Patnaik is a good friend of mine and whenever I visit Odisha, I used to meet him but if the Chief Minister continued such move to kill and murder Rivers, My friendship can’t continue,” said Water Man Dr Rajendra Singh while addressing the farmers under the banner of Kharasrota Banchao Sangram Samiti, spreading agitation opposing lisfting of water from River Kharasrota for Bhadrak’s Rs 892.14 Crore drinking water project.
“The water of Kharasarota river does not belong to some private organisation. Every common man has right over it. I condemn these arrests of peaceful protesters and I will make sure that this movement becomes a success here in Odisha,” Dr Singh said.Dr Singh said that the move by the State government violates the “Right to Live” of the common man. “We do not want privatisation of river water. We rather want communitisation,” he argued.
“I want to aware the State Government that the project is not going to benefit the State. The State Government should understand that I am the friend of Odisha and for which I am against the project. If water is drawn from here then there would be ingress of saline water from sea into the river triggering a doom for the people and the biodiversity. If the State Government would not stop the project, I will fight against the project with the locals,” warned Dr Singh. The Bhitarkanika bio-diversity is going to be disturbed. It is purely wrong. The Government should protect the eco-sensitivity zone of Bhitarkanika, Dr Singh demanded.
Dr Singh has raised the Kharasrota river issue at the National Convention of water activists, held at Chennai recently and brought before it the ongoing protest of the locals in Rajkanika-Aul in Kendrapara. The Congress party on Tuesday sought the intervention of the Governor of Odisha in the matter. A fact finding team from the party met Governor, Professor Ganeshi Lal, and presented a 3-point memorandum to him.
