Bhubaneswar: The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the chief secretaries of five States including Odisha to file affidavits on the execution of Godavari agreement by March 30.
In a notice issued by the Supreme Court, it has asked Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh to file affidavits stating they are bound by the 1980 Godavari River Water Tribunal Award in terms of the Interstate River Water Disputes Act, 1956.
The court's direction came as it heard a case on the multi-purpose irrigation Polavaram Dam project being carried out in pursuance to the award.
The bench of Justice Madan B Lokur and Justice Deepak Gupta issued direction to the Chief Secretaries as it observed that a political solution of the issue was difficult.
Last year on November 28, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had shot a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him not to allow the construction of the Polavaram dam until all the issues being adjudicated by the top court are settled.
In the letter, Patnaik had expressed concern over the Polavaram project saying it was being pushed without addressing his state's legitimate concerns and at the cost of sacrificing its interest.
Odisha told the court that the Polavaram Dam should be as per the award as any deviation would result in submergence of the tribal villages in Malkangiri district of the state. On the other hand, neighbouring Andhra Pradesh is pressing for the project saying that it was essential for its irrigation needs.
Meanwhile, the court has directed the next hearing on the matter on April 17.