In a significant development, the Orissa High Court, on Monday, allowed Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOC) to draw water from Mahanadi river in Cuttack for its refinery project at Paradip.
The division bench consisting of Justices B P Das and M M Das in its order stated that IOC can now draw water from Mahanadi at Hadiapatha and asked the biggest oil marketing firm to construct reservoir at Paradip to avoid water crisis during the lean period.
IOC has also been directed to pay Rs 10 crore for the development of the Cuttack-based Sishu Bhavan, the referral medical centre for children, Rs 3 crore to the Police Commissionerate, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack for the modernization of infrastructure for safe and smooth flow of traffic and five hi-tech ambulances as a part of its corporate social responsibility.
IOC will remove the old barrage within two months. The company will dredge the river from Naraj to Jobra at its own cost and the survey work will be undertaken by Indian Institute of Technology-Chennai.
The HC has also formed a committee comprising Suresh Mohapatra, secretary (water resources), Cuttack collector and revenue divisional commissioner (Central Division) to monitor the activities.
“We are interpreting the court’s order and then we will decide the future course of action,” said petitioner-advocate Nishikant Mishra.
It may be noted that the HC in July last year had issued a stay order on the construction of intake well on Mahanadi river following a Public Interest Litigation(PIL) filed by the Nationalist Lawyers Forum, alleging that it would threaten drinking water and irrigation supply and also pose danger to the embankments along Cuttack city.
The Court had constituted a five-member expert committee headed by a retired chief engineer to assess the impact of such construction on the city and the people.
The technical committee, in its report, had ruled out any danger to the embankments or impact on drinking water and irrigation in several districts following the construction as well as withdrawal of water.
The IOC would be drawing 40 million gallons of water per day which would be supplied to the refinery at Paradip through a pipeline running along the river embankment.
