Bhubaneswar: Amid the long running dispute over the sharing of Mahanadi river water between Odisha and Chhattisgarh, senior BJP leader Bijoy Mohapatra has urged the Odisha government to build more barrages on at least six rivers – Mahanadi, Luna, Chitrotpala, Paika, Kerandia and Birupa – as soon as possible in order to use the river water properly across the state.
Addressing a press meet here on Saturday Mahapatra said the Central Water Commission (CWC) should facilitate a water sharing agreement between Odisha and Chhattisgarh to resolve the Mahanadi water dispute.
The BJP leader also questioned the role of the NABARD, which provided loans to Chhattisgarh government to build barrages in the upper catchment area of Mahanadi in Chhattisgarh without the consent of the Odisha government.
Mohapatra also criticized the recent controversial remark of visiting Chhattisgarh Minister Amar Agarwal on Mahanadi river issue.
“Statements of Chhattisgarh Minister Amar Agarwal on Mahanadi is not ‘acceptable’. It is one-sided”, Mohapatra said at the press conference.