BJP national spokesperson and Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi on Wednesday wrote a letter to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik pleading for rejuvenation of river Prachi in Khordha, Cuttack and Puri districts.
On Thursday, she has also met and submitted a memorandum to Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhwat in New Delhi on this issue.
The memorandum said the Prachi holds an important place in the lives of the people of Odisha. It was the medium through which huge stones had been carried to build the Konark temple. Now, it is a dead river due to non-flow of water from river Kushabhadra, which is a distributary of the Mahanadi.
Sarangi said the State Water Resources Department had prepared a project report for the Prachi’s rejuvenation, which was sanctioned by all relevant technical authorities in September 2021. The project estimate was Rs 297.81 crore.
“I have also written to the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India, for extending support to the Government of Odisha for execution of this project and urged the Chief Minister requesting him to issue appropriate instructions to the Department of Water Resources for placing the project report in the Appraisal Committee and take further steps,” she added.
