Thu Dec 05 00:58:52 UTC 2024: **Odisha BJD Leaders Seek NCST Intervention on Polavaram Dam Project**
NEW DELHI, December 5, 2024 – A delegation of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leaders from Odisha met with the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) chairperson on Wednesday, demanding intervention regarding the Polavaram Dam project in Andhra Pradesh. The delegation, representing Malkangiri and Koraput regions, expressed serious concerns about the project’s impact on tribal populations in upstream Odisha.
The BJD leaders’ primary concern centers on a purported increase in the dam’s flood discharge capacity from 36 lakh cusec to 50 lakh cusec without adequate consideration for the resulting backwater submergence in Odisha and Chhattisgarh. This, they argue, threatens the homes and livelihoods of thousands of tribal people in Malkangiri district.
The memorandum submitted to the NCST chairperson alleges a lack of transparency and public consultation in the project’s clearances. The delegation claims that Odisha was not adequately consulted during environmental impact assessments, and that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) committee investigating submergence issues failed to adequately consider the safety and concerns of Odisha’s tribal communities. A previous NCST review in 2021 also reportedly found insufficient impact assessment surveys in potentially affected Odisha villages.
The BJD leaders also met with the Union Jal Shakti Minister on Tuesday to voice their concerns. They urged the NCST to conduct its own comprehensive backwater study to assess the project’s full impact on tribal communities across Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana. The delegation highlighted the vulnerability of Malkangiri’s tribal populations, particularly primitive tribes, to the potential loss of habitat, culture, and livelihood due to the dam.
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