BHUBANESWAR, Seeking further expansion of the Mahanadi water dispute tribunal, the Odisha government on Wednesday urged the Center to step in as a mediator to help resolve the long-standing water-sharing dispute with neighboring Chhattisgarh.
Odisha has requested the Center to act as a mediator to resolve the Mahanadi water disputeOdisha Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said that while the matter is under consideration of the tribunal, the state government has requested the Center to take the lead in resolving the dispute through negotiations.
“We have spoken to the central government and the Chhattisgarh government. Odisha wants that the matter should be resolved amicably. The Center should play the role of mediator between the two states,” Pujari told reporters here.
Pujari said the inter-ministerial committee of the Odisha government headed by Deputy Chief Minister KV Singh Deo also held talks with Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bishnu Deo Sai.
“At the same time, the Odisha government has formally written to the Center to extend the tenure of the tribunal by nine months, whose current tenure is nearing completion,” he said.
More Read
Justifying the demand for extension of the tribunal, the minister said the chairperson of the panel was not available for nine months, for which no hearing could be conducted. Therefore, the term of the tribunal needs to be extended, he said.
The MWDT was formed in March 2018 under the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956 to resolve disputes over water sharing between Odisha and Chhattisgarh.
In 2016, Odisha filed complaints that Chhattisgarh had constructed several dams/barrages upstream of the Mahanadi, thus obstructing the free flow of water in the inter-state river.
Although the tribunal has been working for five years, only one witness’s statement has been recorded so far. Pujari said that the term of the tribunal should be extended.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without text modification
