April 30, 2011 / 14:21 IST
Rubbishing the BJD's charge projecting him and the UPA government as "anti-Orissa", union environment minister Jairam Ramesh on Thursday said that neither he nor the Centre was against the state. The minister was speaking at the launch of the World Bank funded Rs 227 crore Integrated Costal Zone Management Project (ICZMP) at Okilpal, the entry point to the Bhitarkania National Park in Kendrapara district.
Stating that Orissa was the first among the coastal states in the country where the ICZMP was being launched, Ramesh claimed that this amply demonstrated the Centre's concern towards Orissa's development.
"I want to make it clear that the allegations against me and the Centre are false, fabricated and baseless," Ramesh said while referring to the ruling BJD's charges against him.
The minister also pointed out that of Rs 227 crore to be spent in the state under the ICZMP, the Centre would bear the burden of Rs 200 crore while the state's share was only Rs 27 crore.
"Those who say that the Centre is against the state, they are wrong," the minister said.
Ramesh's remark came in response to the ruling BJD's ongoing "Sava Orissa" campaign launched after the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) in 2010 rejected environmental clearance to the proposed bauxite mining project in Niyamgiri hills for Vedanta's alumina refinery in Kalahandi.
The BJD has been saying the Centre was against the interest of the state and alleged that the MoEF headed by Jairam Ramesh used different yardsticks for Orissa projects while not applying the same to Polavaram project in Andhra Pradesh.
The BJD MLAs criticised the minister for allegedly going against the state's interest in the budget session of the state Assembly.
After arriving here on a two day tour of the state, Ramesh had said "Polavaram project has also been issued stop work order. Same yardstick is used for Orissa and other states, same for the BJD and for the Congress."
Maintaining that a backward state like Orissa stays at the top of development agenda of union government, Ramesh said "Things are being blown out of proportion. An orchestrated campaign is set in motion in certain quarters that the MOEF is hell bent to stop Orissa's industrialisation."
"I have been told that youth wing of BJD had opposed my visit to the state for the launch of ICZMP. I fail to understand the logic behind such move," he told.
There should be an early end to the blame game. Game of politics should be stopped. We are ready to provide funds.
The state government would have to make judicious use of it.
The union minister also distributed cheques to fishermen affected by protracted fishing ban as part of alternate livelihood stakes support scheme of ICZM programme.
All stakes holders along the state''s coastline would reap benefits under the World Bank funded ICZMP, he said.
There are reports of sufferings of residents of villages located in close vicinity of Bhitarkanika wildlife sanctuary following enforcement of forest and wildlife law besides the enforced ban on fishing in Gahirmatha marine sanctuary. Once ICZMP is successfully implemented to generate employment and livelihood stakes, these people would no more feel let down.
On POSCO steel project, Ramesh said, "The MOEF is not against the project as it is being propagated by the ruling party in the state. We are duty bound to ensure that the process of forest rights act is implemented in letter and spirit for diversion of land in favour of the Korean steel project."
