Report by Kishore Dash, Malkangiri: The much hyped public meeting of ruling Biju Janata Dal(BJD) protesting the muliti crore Indira Sagar Polavaram Project at Motu today failed to draw a huge crowd. The leaders of regional outfit had left with no option but to manage the show with a thin crowd  of only two thousand people.

Contrary to School & Mass Education Minister Rabi Narayan Nanda’s claim on Sunday,there was a thin crowd at the cricket stadium at Motu where the public meeting was held.

The local leaders of the party including Malkangiri MLA Mukund Sodi started addressing the meeting till the Minister Rabi Narayan Nanda, Sports & Youth Affair Minister Ramesh Majhi and Koraput M.P Jayaram Pangi arrived at BSF camp premises at  Motu by a Air Deccan helicopter at 2.00 pm.

Unleashing an attack on the Mammohan Singh led UPA government at the centre for giving all support to the Kiran Kumar Reddy led A.P government to clear all hurdles to complete the Pollavaram Project, Minister Nanda vehemently opposed it saying the people would not spare even an inch of soil for the project.

The Project would be built on our dead bodies and if necessary we would take up the issue to the streets of Delhi to stop the project. Our fight will continue till the project work comes to stop, Nanda added while addressing the gathering.

It is violation of all norms and rules to float the tender for the Project work when the matter is pending with the Supreme Court and Godavari Tribunal, he said.

The project if comes up with a height of 150 feet, it  would submerge more than 25 villages across Motu tehsil limits. More than 300 hectare forest lands will be washed away and many primitive tribal folk residing in the area would be displaced.

Addressing the gathering, Minister Ramesh Majhi and Koraput M.P Jayaram Pangi also severely criticized Prime Minister Manmohan Singh , UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and A.P Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy for taking up the project work without consulting Odisha and Chhatisgarh Chief ministers.

Odisha would be no way benefited if the project comes up, they said adding it is the A.P which will take all benefit because of the project at the cost of the people of Odisha.

However, Samsher Khan, residing in thatched hut at the bank of river Motu we are ready to be displaced for the project if compensated suitably. Sunitra Monda and Manoj Kumar Sahana of Motu also share the same feeling.

We have nothing to do with the project,what we want the government should extend all basic amenities to us,they said. Sekhar Chandra Malick and Harsit Mallick of MPV-74 and M.V-80 opined that the project should come up as it would help us for good harvesting by irrigating our lands.

Bharat Bhusan representing a A.P based NGO Centre for Action &Research & Peoples Development (CARPED) said the project would displace many people across the three states. But there is nothing wrong on the part of the Odisha Chief minister Naveen Pattnaik in holding dialogue with his A.P counterpart to sort out the differences .