Aparajita Sarangi meets Union minister of jal Shakti
Aparajita Sarangi meets Union minister of jal Shakti
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Bhubaneswar: Aparajita Sarangi, a Bhubaneswar MP, has asked the Centre to help revive the Prachi River, which has gone dry, in order to meet the drinking water and irrigation demands of three districts in Odisha.
During a meeting in New Delhi, Aparajita raised the issue with Union Minister of Jal Shakti (water resources), Gajendra Shekhawat, and sent him a letter.
According to the MP, the Prachi River was formerly the state's lifeline, flowing over 78 kilometres through six blocks in three districts. It was utilised to transport massive stones for the construction of the 12th century Konark temple in Puri. On the banks of the Prachi River sits the famed 'Maa Mangala' temple, which is revered by everybody throughout Odisha.
Unfortunately, due to a lack of water flow from the river Kushavadra, a distributary of the Mahanadi, Prachi is now a dry river.
Residents living near the Prachi River's banks have been pleading with the government to begin work on its revitalization. 'Prachi Prajna Parishad' is one of several organisations dedicated to this purpose, according to Aparajita.
The state government's Water Resources department submitted a project report for the revitalization of the Prachi river, which was approved by all relevant technical authorities in September 2021. The project's cost was assessed to be Rs 297.81 crore by the department's technical specialists.
The project includes the building of a reservoir, retaining wall, seven bridges, and a service road, as well as afforestation, river bed creation, and river mouth dredging.
The BJP leader went on to say that if the project is completed, it will change the lives of people in the Prachi valley and surrounding areas. It would not only meet their drinking water demands, but it would also help to increase irrigation. Furthermore, she continued, pisciculture and eco-tourism will benefit, resulting in more job prospects for locals.
Aparajita requested the minister to issue appropriate instructions to the state's Water Resources department for placing the project report in the Appraisal Committee and taking further steps in this regard, stating that she had written to the Ministry of Jal Shakti for extending support to the Odisha government for project execution. Along with the letter, she included a copy of the project report.
