Singh's comment came on the sidelines of ‘Mahanadi Jatra’, which kicked off from Bhubaneswar on Wednesday.
Mahanadi Jatra, a rally launched by Mahanadi Bachao Andolan, an outfit fighting for the conservation of the river aims to protect the Mahanadi river in Odisha from the aftereffects of the construction of Kalma barrage in the upper river in Chhattisgarh.
During the three-day visit to Odisha, a 13-member committee led by Singh will prepare a report on possible solutions for the protection of Mahanadi based on the ground realities near the barrage. The committee is also likely to discuss the matter with Chhattisgarh Chief Minister.
The panel will also initiate discussions with the denizens of the areas situated on the bank of Mahanadi in Jharsuguda and Sonepur which are likely to suffer the worst impacts due to the barrage. The opinions of different sections of people will also be collected to prepare a detailed report.
Singh rapped the Odisha government for not getting a way out to resolve the long-pending dispute with Chhattisgarh over sharing of Mahanadi water.
“Though a tribunal has been formed to resolve the issue, no headway in this direction is quite unfortunate,” said Singh.
Meanwhile, throwing weight behind Singh, convener of Mahanadi Bachao Andolan, Sudarsan Das also lambasted the government for its intention.
“The Odisha government has turned a blind eye to the issue after the election. Mahanadi is the lifeline of Odia people. These kinds of issues should be beyond political motives. It is the most significant issue pertaining to the existence of the State and the economic, social and cultural aspects of Odia people and hence should be solved on a priority basis,” said Das.
“The Centre is mulling setting up a single tribunal by amending the existing inter-state River Water Dispute Act. A revised bill regarding this was sent to the Standing Committee after being tabled in the Lok Sabha,” Meghwal stated.
“The bill will be tabled in the upcoming Monsoon session of the Parliament,” the union minister said adding that instead of having so many tribunals, a single national tribunal will be more helpful for solving the water disputes between states while keeping up the nation's interest.
Reacting on Meghwal's comments, the BJD's Prasanna Acharya said Centre's move for a single tribunal will push the dispute to further uncertainty.
“There are so many pending bills that are waiting to be passed in the Rajya Sabha. Some have already been rejected and so there is a level of uncertainty. The BJP-led NDA does not have clear majority in the Upper House of the Parliament. Hence we don’t understand why the Centre is intentionally pushing the Mahanadi row into uncertainty,” senior party leader Prasanna Acharya said.
Congress too raised concerns over the issue. “Earlier they had raised similar objections to a separate Mahanadi Tribunal which led to delay in the Supreme Court’s decision. Now after the apex court’s order when a tribunal has already been set up to resolve the Mahanadi row, the Centre is once again raking up talks of a single tribunal instead of expediting the works of the existing tribunal. This will certainly further the delay the matter,” Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) chief Niranjan Patnaik said.
Earlier on March 12 this year, the Union water resources ministry issued a notification constituting a three-member Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal to adjudicate the dispute.
Supreme Court judge Justice A.M. Khanwilkar has been named the Chairman of the Tribunal, formed as per a January 23 apex court order to the Centre. Justice Ravi Ranjan and Justice Indermeet Kaur Kochhar, judges of Patna High Court and Delhi High Court respectively are the two other members of the tribunal.
BJD vice president Prasanna Acharya said Modi made the remark on Mahanadi row only to confuse people.
“The Prime Minister yesterday confused people and his statement shows no commitment. What he said regarding the tribunal is sad and surprising. His statement is contradictory. Everyone knows it is the Odisha government who initially proposed to form a tribunal,” Acharya pointed out.
The PM during his public meeting on Saturday, said that Union Minister Nitin Gadkari had talked to the Odisha government to resolve the Mahanadi water issue, but the State did not cooperate.
“Union Minister Nitin Gadkari had talked to the State government during hearing of the Mahanadi case at the Supreme Court and said that the Centre was bringing out a bill on single tribunal for all inter-state water issue in the Parliament and that the Mahanadi water dispute should be referred to the tribunal. But the bill has only been introduced in the Lok Sabha and is yet to be passed in the Parliament. Modi’s statement was an attempt to mislead people by presenting false information,"Acharya claimed.
Refuting the allegations, BJP State President, Basant Panda said, “The ones who failed to provide irrigation facilities to farmers, are now shedding crocodile tears. PM Narendra Modi has given a tight slap on the face of such people. In federal structure, water is a state issue and the Centre does not have much role to play.”
Begging to differ, senior BJP leader Bijay Mohapatra said, “Mahanadi is a sensitive issue and has become a talking point in the State. But the people of Odisha failed to get a desired response from the PM.”
“Everyone was expecting that Odisha will get justice after a tribunal is formed. However, there is very little chance of its functioning within next six months,”said Mohapatra.
The Speaker adjourned the proceedings till 12 noon when BJD MPs stood beside their seat and shouted slogans.
Following the adjournment when BJD parliamentary party leader Bhartruhari Mahatab raised the Mahanadi issue once again, it also drew support from Trinamool Congress MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay.
BJD MP and Parliamentary Party spokesperson Kalikesh Singhdeo, said, "Today we had moved an adjournment motion for the third time. However, the Lok Sabha Speaker did not accept the motion following which we stood beside our seat and lodged a protest."
Rajya Sabha member Prasanna Acharya said, "We raised the Mahanadi water dispute issue during zero hour and demanded cancellation of other proceedings. Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said an adjournment is not possible, but assured us that he would give us a chance for discussion some time without telling when."
BJD's Rajya Sabha members have already moved a calling attention and a short duration notice for discussion on the Mahanadi water row in the Upper House.
Earlier in the day, BJD MPs staged a demonstration holding placards in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue on the premises of Parliament.
Bhubaneswar MP Prasanna Patasani said, "To protect the interest of some industrialists, a conspiracy has been planned and the Centre is a part of it. We will fight against the step-motherly attitude of the Centre against Odisha."
Echoing similar views, Kendrapara MP Baijayant Panda said, "We will raise our voice in every possible way, even if a discussion is not allowed in Parliament."
Refuting the allegations, BJP spokesperson Sajjan Sharma said, "When the Centre has already said it would bring a new law under which a tribunal will be formed to resolve issues on different water bodies in a limited period, the BJD MPs should not play politics over the Mahanadi river water."
Despite holding the charge of Water Resources Minister, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has failed to protect the water bodies of the State, he alleged.
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In an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court, the Centre said the Odisha government did not provide required information, hence, there is no need to constitute a tribunal.
Counsel of the Central government Wasim A. Kadri told OTV that the Odisha government had been asked to submit information needed for the proposed tribunal by November 19. However, the State did not provide the details.
Meanwhile, during a discussion in the Odisha Assembly, Government Chief Whip Amar Prasad Satpathy said 41% less water flowed in Mahanadi river in November this year as compared to the same month last year due to barrages constructed by the Chhattisgarh government on upper catchment areas.
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He further stated water flow in the river will reduce by 73% in March and 77% by May 2018. As many as 16 districts of the State will be affected following the reduction in water flow, Satpathy informed.
He alleged, “The Centre has been a mute spectator though Chhattisgarh is busy setting up barrages on Mahanadi.”
Slamming both the State government and the Centre, Opposition leader Narasingha Mishra said in the Assembly, “The Odisha government has been neglecting Chhattisgarh’s barrage construction issue since 2000. On the other hand, the Centre has violated rules by delaying formation of a tribunal.”
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Speaking to mediapersons on arrival here after staging a five-day satyagraha on Mahanadi issue in New Delhi, advisor of Agami Odisha, Lalit Mohan Patnaik said the Union Government which was earlier in favour of setting up a conglomerate tribunal for resolving all inter-state river disputes is now mulling to set up a special tribunal on Mahanadi row as Cabinet decision is awaiting.
“We pressed the issue so much that it was discussed in the Parliament. The other aspect of our success is that Odia people have learnt how to raise demands on a national level. Now this has become a civil society movement as we look forward to take the issue to every doorstep in Odisha to make people aware,” Patnaik added.
Civil society forums from Odisha like Agami Odisha, Odisha Nadi Suraksha Sammukhya successfully organised protests for over five days from August 8 to 13 near Jantar Mantar, the Parliament and reinforced the state's pressing demands for judicious use of the river water.
Last month, the Calcutta bench of National Green Tribunal (NGT) had directed Chhattisgarh Government not to initiate construction works of 31 projects over the Mahanadi including six major projects that are yet to begin. Earlier this month a senior official of Union Government also pointed out that the Centre is likely to set up a tribunal on the row.
The apex court had made a hearing on the issue earlier on August 2 during which both Odisha and Chhatisgarh presented their sides.
On this issue, hundreds of CPM activists, led by senior leader Janardan Pati, took out a rally from Master Canteen Square to Lower PMG Square where the party workers staged demonstration.
Talking to media persons, Pati, while talking about the Mahanadi issue, said a senior BJP leader of Odisha, who is the Union minister, is talking more on Mahanadi than the Chhattisgarh chief minister. “I don’t know how the Odisha government is reacting to the statements of this Union minister. But we want to make it very clear to the chief minister that the tribunal is the only way to resolve the Mahanadi row between the two states. Let the Odisha government file a petition in the Supreme Court to direct the Centre for formation of the tribunal. It is the chief minister, who can only clarify the reasons as to why he is yet to move the tribunal on the issue”, the CPM leader pointed out.
He further said his party would also ask the chief minister as to why he had not raked up the issue 15 years ago even though the state government was aware of the construction of dams and barrages in upper Mahanadi by the Chhattisgarh government.
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Taking the side of Odisha, Pati said for the last 60 years since the construction of Hirakud dam in 1960, no government in the state till date has constructed a dam or barrage on Mahanadi.
According to sources, if Chhattisgarh, which has constructed dams on the upstream of Mahanadi, releases water without adequate notice to Odisha, then it will trigger floods in Odisha. It has been finalised in the meeting that the data will be shared using new technologies.
However, sources informed that despite being on the agenda, there were no discussions on the on-going construction of barrages and other projects on the upstream of Mahanadi by Chhattisgarh.
"The meeting majorly discussed the problems that the Hirakud dam will have to face if water from the upstream is released without prior information. They (Chhattisgarh government) will have to inform us before releasing water and also about the condition of their dams," said Jyotirmaya Ratha, chief engineer of Hirakud Dam.
Mahanadi project chief in Raipur, Sanjay Bhagwat said, "We discussed about all the dams on Mahanadi. There has been a mutual sharing of all data so far, but now we want to use advance techniques for the same so that we can share flood-related details at the earliest."
The coordination meeting is usually convened between the officials of Odisha and Chhattisgarh in the month of May or June every year. However, it got delayed this time as the neighbouring state had sought some time.
"To avoid such delay, there is an existing guideline. So there is no problem in reviewing it and taking further course of action accordingly," said Ramesh Tripathy, former engineer-in-chief of Odisha Water Resource Department.
Apart from the engineer-in-chiefs, the meeting was attended by 13 Odisha officials and six from the neighbouring state.
Data furnished by the Centre in the Rajya Sabha has not only raised doubts over an amicable solution in the long-standing dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh, but it also has sparked concerns over the survival of the lower reaches of Mahanadi in Odisha.
Amid concerns already being flagged over the water flow in Odisha, the proposals for more projects by the neighboring State has now raised questions whether such developments would intensify water crisis in Odisha.
On one hand while the dispute is still subjudice before a tribunal, these revelations have now stroked political controversy and blame game in Odisha.
“The situation is extremely sensitive and detrimental to the welfare of the State, so the Centre should immediately withhold the projects which are yet to be constructed,” said BJD Rajya Sabha member, Prasanna Acharya.
Similarly Congress MLA Tara Bahinipati fumed at the Centre and threatened severe protests over the issue.
“If the projects become a reality, Odisha will not get a single drop of water from Mahanadi. In case, the Centre does not take any action to stop the projects, the Congress will protest,” said Bahinipati.
BJP MP Suresh Pujari however, criticized the State government saying that it is quite a shame that in the last 20 years, Odisha government failed to tackle the issue.
“Firstly it is yet to construct any project to conserve water in the lower reaches of Mahanadi and secondly it was unable to halt Chhattisgarh’s projects in all these years. Now they are trying to reap political benefits by raking up the issue," said Pujari.
Moreover, the Centre has informed the Upper House that the Arpa-Bhaisajhar barrage project, which is the bone of contention between Odisha and Chhattisgarh, was approved by the Technical Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Jal Shakti on September 30, 2016.
The new projects by the neighbouring state will drastically reduce the summer water inflow in the river. Even during floods, if they (Chhattisgarh) trigger uncontrolled discharge of water, that too will pose danger-
Ramesh Tripathy, former Chief Engineer of Water Resources department, Odisha.
Amid all this, sources said, the dispute with Chhattisgarh has now spurred the Odisha government to take the issue seriously and if reports are to be believed, the government is carrying out a survey and inspection of around 30 rivers flowing through the State for construction of reservoirs.
State Water Resources Minister Raghunandan Das said the government is mulling to create projects like barrages and dams, but they are in a planning stage.
As per the directive, the technical team from Chhattisgarh will visit Odisha on January 4, 2020, while representatives from Odisha will visit Chhattisgarh on January 16 to conduct second field visit, respectively. The Tribunal has also fixed the next hearing on February 1, 2020.
It is pertinent to mention that a team from Odisha had visited Chhattisgarh between October 29 and November 3, and in the second week of November representatives of Chhattisgarh visited Odisha to conduct their respective field visits. The teams later submitted a report to the Tribunal in this regard.
“Chhattisgarh filed its counter on Saturday. The Odisha Government has been given four weeks time to file a rejoinder,” informed Parija.
“Both the States are trying to come up with a ‘compromise formula’. If they don’t arrive at the formula, Court is very likely to give its final decision as the hearing is complete. The hearing fixed on February 1 will examine final issues only,” said Advocate Deepal Narwerkar.
Notably, the Odisha government had sought a stay on construction and operation of barrages being built by Chhattisgarh government on Mahanadi river and had demanded the release of 1.74 million acre-feet of water during the non-monsoon season.