BJD to raise Mahanadi, Polavaram issues in Parliament

Bhubaneswar, Dec 14 (IANS) The BJD on Thursday decided to raise several issues, including the constitution of a tribunal to resolve the Mahanadi water dispute, the Polavaram project and the hike in the MSP for paddy during the winter session of Parliament that begins on Friday.

The Biju Janata Dal has decided to seek the support of other like-minded parties to press Odisha's demands in Parliament.

This was decided at the parliamentary party meeting chaired by BJD president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at Naveen Niwas (residence of the Chief Minister) here.

All the 28 MPs of the party, including 20 Lok Sabha members and eight Rajya Sabha members, were present at the meeting.

"The party will lodge a protest against the Centre's apathy. Though as per the law, the Centre is bound to form a Tribunal, it is showing undue favours to Chhattisgarh by not constituting a tribunal to resolve the Mahanadi dispute," Lok Sabha member Kalikesh Singhdeo said.

The party will also rake up the Polavaram issue and the delay in the construction work on the Khurda-Bolangir railway track.

"Other major issues are the paddy minimum support price, a second bridge over Brahmani river and non-revision of the royalty of coal even though Odisha is a coal-bearing state," said BJD's Rajya Sabha member Pratap Deb.

The winter session of Parliament will be held from December 15 to January 5.

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