Bhubaneswar: The Negotiation Committee constituted by Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation to resolve the Mahanadi water dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh has decided not to hold any more meetings.
The committee stated that no amicable settlement on the issue was reached as both the states are not providing facts on Mahanadi. Rather, the committee has passed the ball into the court of Ministry of Water Resources suggesting that the latter should take steps to resolve the issue.
Such a decision is now seen as a major setback for the Union Government as Supreme Court will hear on the petition filed by Odisha Government for formation of a special Tribunal on the Mahanadi water dispute under the Inter-State Water Disputes Act, 1956, on July 25.
Odisha was against the Negotiation Committee from the very beginning and was demanding formation of a tribunal to resolve the Mahanadi dispute. However, the Union Government constituted the negotiation committee on January 19 this year for amicable settlement of the same.