Sindol project rocks house

BHUBANESWAR: The controversial Sindol hydro power project rocked the Assembly on Thursday with the Congress and the BJP demanding a discussion ahead of the adjournment motion on the impending drought situation in the State.Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh sought to know the motive of the Government for going ahead with the Sindol project when it is opposing Polavaram multi-irrigation project of Andhra Pradesh and fighting a case against the neighbouring state in the Supreme Court.Sindol, Singh said, is a burning issue in western Orissa and people are agitating against the project fearing large-scale submergence of human habitations, agriculture and forest land. If the Government is concerned about the people likely to be affected by Polavaram project, it should show equal concern for those facing the threat of displacement for Sindol. There is no justification for public hearings after signing the tripartite agreement with National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC) and Orissa Hydro Power Corporation (OHPC), he averred.Cautioning that the project will prove very costly to the Government, Singh said the State will be divided if it goes ahead with Sindol. He demanded a statement from Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on the issue.The House witnessed noisy scenes with Opposition members shouting slogans against the project when Speaker Pradip Kumar Amat requested the Leader of Opposition to bring the issue in a separate format for discussion. But Congress members rushed into the well of the House demanding immediate discussion.Parliamentary Affairs Minister Raghunath Mohanty said the Government is ready to discuss any issue but the Opposition should bring it in a proper format. He requested the Opposition members to return to their seats and allow the House to function smoothly.He reminded the Opposition parties that the adjournment motion on drought was moved by their members.Demanding a white paper on the drought situation, leader of the BJP Legislature Party KV Singhdeo requested the Speaker to allow the adjournment motion to be taken up as a motion so that many members of the House could participate.