BJD urges Oram’s intervention to safeguard Malkangiri tribals from Polavaram project impact

Bhubaneswar, Aug 21 (UNI) The Biju Janata Dal (BJD), principal opposition in Odisha, today urged Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram to intervene and address the grave concerns of tribals in Malkangiri whose lives and livelihoods face threat from Andhra Pradesh’s Polavaram Project.

In a letter to the Minister, BJD MPs, MLAs, former Ministers and former MPs highlighted the imminent submergence of large areas in Malkangiri due to the project.

They said the displacement of thousands of tribal people, particularly those from Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), requires urgent attention.

The leaders recalled that a BJD delegation had earlier met the Tribal Affairs Secretary and Chairman of the Scheduled Tribes Commission on December 4, 2024, and submitted a memorandum, but their concerns remained unaddressed.

Quoting the Supreme Court’s order of September 6, 2022, which called for more technical studies and environmental clearances, the party urged the Ministry of Tribal Affairs to play a proactive role in protecting Odisha’s tribals.

The letter stressed the need for an impact assessment on the lives, livelihoods, and culture of affected tribes such as Koya, Santal, Banjara, Durua, Bhumia, Bonda, Gadaba, Kotea, Didayi,
Konda Dora, Paraja, Halwa, Kandha, and Konda Reddy.

Referring to the Centre’s recent sanction of Rs.17,936 crore for the project’s completion, the BJD said this decision has deepened the anxiety of indigenous communities over land loss,
displacement, and safety.

A convention of the Polavaram Action Committee, held on February 28, 2025, at Motu in Malkangiri, raised strong objections to the ecological damage, livelihood loss, and displacement issues. The convention also criticised the apathy of authorities, including the Tribal Affairs Ministry.

The BJD noted that the Polavaram Project, originally designed with a flood discharge capacity of
36 lakh cusecs, has now been revised to 50 lakh cusecs without adequate backwater studies in upstream states like Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Telangana. This, they said, ignored Odisha’s concerns despite Supreme Court directions for a Central Water Commission-led consultation.

The party alleged that environmental clearances were granted on the assumption that no submergence would occur in Odisha, without proper public hearings or backwater impact
studies. The existing rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) plans, it said, fail to address the socio-economic challenges of Malkangiri’s tribal communities.

The National Green Tribunal had set up a committee to assess submergence issues, but Odisha was not included in its deliberations, the BJD pointed out.

A BJD delegation also visited Podia and Kalimela blocks in August 2024 to interact with villagers of the submergence zone. They later visited the Polavaram project site in Andhra Pradesh, but
said their queries about project features were not answered by officials.

The party demanded that the Ministry of Tribal Affairs to re-examine the R&R clearance granted in April 2007,conduct a fresh, independent backwater study to assess impacts in Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana,ensure direct consultation with affected tribal communities and incorporate their concerns into R&R plans.

The leaders urged a holistic and transparent approach to ensure the project’s design and implementation align with the Godavari Water Dispute Tribunal (GWDT) award, especially
regarding flood discharge and submergence levels.