Adani Row: KV Singh Deo & Prasanna Acharya Face Off in Assembly

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo and BJD’s senior MLA Prasanna Acharya have faced off in Assembly on Wednesday over Adani’s purchase of land near Gandhamardan hills.

Answering a question in this matter raised by Acharya, KV Singh Deo said that ‘we will not allow Adani to set up a factory in Gandhamardan’.

The Gandhamardan issue was raised during the zero hour in the Assembly. Gandhamardan is rich in bauxite.

Acharya asked if the government has given permission to Adani. Is there a proposal to give bauxite mining from Gandhamardan to any company in the future?

In 1980, permission was given to the Balco Company to extract bauxite. At that time, there was a huge public protest, Prasanna Acharya said.

Answering the question raised by the Deputy Leader of Opposition, Singhdeo said that it was the BJD government that had given permission for the land purchased by Adani.

Singh Deo further said that the Odisha’s BJP government will not allow mining in Gandhamardan. I will take up the protest with you in any such case. Gandhamardan will not be allowed to be destroyed, he said.

It is to be noted that the purchase of land by Adani Group in Balangir district snowballed into a political controversy with the ruling BJP and opposition BJD exchanging barbs. There is apprehension among people of Balangir and Bargarh districts about possible exploitation of the sacred Gandhamardan hills having rich bauxite deposits.