Mahanadi Row: BJD accuses Modi Govt of bias

ONI Bureau: The ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in the state has come down heavily on Centre, accusing it of favouring Chhattisgarh on the issue of Mahanadi river water dispute with Odisha.

The BJD cited a letter written by Ministry of Forest and Environment (MoEF), which had issued a show cause notice to Chhattisgarh on September 20, 2017 over violation of environmental norms.

BJD MP Pinki Mishra alleged that Chhattisgarh Government had violated all norms by supplying water to the industries in the name of irrigation, which is completely illegal.

He further alleged quoting the letter that the Environment Impact Assessment Authority of Chhattisgarh had kept the MoEF and Odisha Government in dark about the construction of 6 projects on Mahanadi.

Since the Modi Government has allowed Chhattisgarh to go ahead with the projects despite the fact that it had violated the green norms, it’s crystal clear that there is a visible bias and favouritism, which is not in the interest of federal structure of the country, he added.

The BJD has decided to place all these documents before the National Green Tribunal and the Supreme Court.