Mahanadi dispute: CM Naveen writes to PM again, demands tribunal

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister on Friday reiterated State’s demand for formation of a tribunal for early resolution of the ongoing Mahanadi water dispute with neighboring Chhattisgarh.

In another letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Patnaik has stressed on immediate issuance of a notification for constitution of a tribunal to initiate the process of adjudication of Mahanadi dispute.

Also Read: Set up tribunal to resolve Mahanadi dispute: BJD in LS

As per the provision under Section 4(1) of the Inter State River Water Disputes (ISRWD) Act, 1956, if the Central Government is of the opinion that water dispute cannot be settled by negotiations, the Union government shall within a period not exceeding one year from the date of receipt of such request in the official Gazette, constitute a water disputes tribunal.

As Odisha government had earlier filed the statutory complaint on November 19 last year, the Central Government is supposed to constitute the tribunal before November 19, 2017.

As the timeline of one year for constitution of the Tribunal is expiring on November 18, Patnaik has expressed displeasure over lack of efforts to constitute the Tribunal for resolving the Mahanadi dispute.

Also Read: Set up tribunal to resolve Mahanadi dispute: Bhartruhari Mahtab