Odisha's BJD Intensifies Fight Against Polavaram Dam: A Call for Tribal Justice

BJD President Naveen Patnaik urges party members to escalate efforts to protect Odisha's tribal communities potentially impacted by the Polavaram dam project. This call follows discussions with central officials in Delhi. The party plans a series of agitations, demanding the reevaluation of project implications for tribal and environmental welfare.

BJD president Naveen Patnaik has called for intensified action by party members to advocate for Odisha's tribal communities, who are threatened by the Polavaram dam project in Andhra Pradesh. The political leader's appeal follows discussions in Delhi to highlight the issue's gravity at the national level.

Patnaik asserted via the social platform X that Malkangiri, home to numerous tribal communities, faces severe risks of submergence due to the project. He emphasized the party's commitment to safeguarding these communities' rights and announced widespread agitation plans beginning in January.

BJD leaders have addressed their concerns directly with Union ministers and environmental and tribal commissions. They underline the need for revisiting project details, stressing environmental and socio-economic repercussions, and urge a revival of the 2011 stay order on the dam project.

(With inputs from agencies.)