The winter session of the Orissa Assembly has turned out to be a complete washout. As the face off between the Opposition and the Treasury continued over the issue of allotting water from irrigation projects to industries, the House was adjourned sine die 18 days before schedule.
For over two weeks, the Assembly has been witnessing an unprecedented din over allocation of water to industries from irrigation projects. The Congress-led Opposition is demanding a discussion on the issue followed by voting as per the provision of Section 113(B), while the ruling party, the Biju Janata Dal, is insisting that the issue be discussed according to the rules laid down under Section 113(C), wherein there is little scope for voting.
The controversy over allocation of water to industries from irrigation projects began when the peasants of Hirakud dam command area stood up against water supply from the reservoir to industrial units, like Vedanta Aluminium, Bhusan Steel, Aditya Aluminium, SMC Power and SPS Sponge Iron coming up in Sambalpur and Jharsuguda districts. What added fuel to fire was the police lathi-charge on agitating peasants early this month. Chief minister Naveen Patnaik?s assurance that not a single drop of water meant for irrigation would be allotted to the industries has failed to impress the farmers. Even the announcement of a Rs 200-crore package for farmers could not assuage their feelings.
As of now, the entire Opposition, even BJD ally, BJP, has thrown their weight behind the agitating farmers, who have built a wall on the banks of the reservoir to prevent industrial units from laying pipelines.
??What is adding to the woes of the farmers is that the government is planning to allot water from the Mahanadi system to 77 industries??, says state Nationalist Congress Party leader Bijaya Mohapatra, who was water resources minister in the early 1990s. ??The government has no right to allot water from the reservoirs built with people’s money for drinking water, irrigation and energy purposes to industrial units??, says Orissa Krushak Mahasangha chiefdent, BP Das.