Mahanadi water sharing dispute: Odisha delegates to visit Chhattisgarh on Jan 31 for discussion

The Odisha government’s Mahanadi Committee will visit Chhattisgarh on January 31 and February 1 to hold discussions aimed at resolving the long-pending Mahanadi water sharing dispute. An all-party meeting will be convened on January 23 to finalise the state’s stand ahead of the inter-state talks.

According to sources, the Odisha government will present its position before the Chhattisgarh government based on the conclusions of the all-party meeting, Deputy Chief Minister KV Singh Deo said. 

He added that the next hearing of the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal is scheduled for February 7, during which Odisha will place its arguments before the tribunal along with Chhattisgarh.

“An all-party meeting on Mahanadi water sharing dispute will be held on January 23. Besides, we will have a discussion with the social organisation fighting in the interest of Mahanadi. Then, we will visit Chhattisgarh on January 31 for further discussion,” Singh Deo informed.

Deputy Chief Minister Singh Deo further informed that the tenure of the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal, which was constituted on March 12, 2018, is set to end on March 13. The state government has requested the Centre to extend the tribunal’s tenure to ensure completion of the adjudication process.

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The decisions were taken at a meeting chaired by Deputy Chief Minister KV Singh Deo. The meeting was attended by the Revenue Minister Suresh Pujari and Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan, along with BJD legislator Niranjan Pujari, Congress MLA Sofia Firdous and the Chief Whip of the ruling party, among others.