BHUBANESWAR: The dispute over Mahanadi river water is all set to intensify with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik taking strong exception to the alleged closure of gates of Kalma barrage by Chhattisgarh Government.
In a letter on Saturday, Naveen has requested his Chhattisgarh counterpart Raman Singh to ask officials of the water resources department to immediately open the gates of Kalma barrage to ensure free flow of water in Mahanadi river.
The Chief Minister said Kalma is one of the six barrages unilaterally taken up by the Chhattisgarh Government across the inter-state river Mahanadi without any reference or regard to the downstream interests of Odisha and its inhabitants.
“The reports available with my Government definitely convey that your Government has gone ahead and closed the gates of Kalma barrage stopping the free flow of water,” the Chief Minister said and added,”This unilateral decision to stop the flow has caused severe distress situation in the downstream areas in my State, inter alia, affecting the district water needs.”
Stating that people of Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Bargarh and other districts have been affected and there is widespread unrest due to unilateral action of the Chhattisgarh Government, Naveen said the situation may go out of hand, if free flow of water downstream of Kalma barrage in Mahanadi river is not restored immediately.
“I emphatically state that this unilateral action of your government is wholly contrary to the inter-state riparian rights as per the 1945 understanding when the Hirakud dam was planned,” he said.
The Chief Minister said the engineer-in-chief has written to his Chhattisgarh counterpart on May 31, 2017 giving technical details on this subject and its effect on the downstream areas of Odisha. Principal Secretary in the Water Resources department of Odisha Government has also taken up the matter with his counterpart in the Chhattisgarh Government on June 1, 2017.
Besides, the Odisha Government has already filed a statutory complaint under Section-3 of the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956. One of the disputes in the complaint specifically refers to six barrages including Kalma barrage.
The Chief Minister said during the pendency of the reference of the complaint to an Inter-State Tribunal, the Odisha Government has also filed an original suit in the Supreme Court along with interlocutory application to restrain Chhattisgarh Government from proceeding with the construction of six barrages, including Kalma barrage.
“Your government has appeared in the Supreme Court through counsel and when the matter is pending before the court, it is expected of your government to maintain status quo regarding free flow in Mahanadi river at Kalma barrage,” he said.
I emphatically state that this unilateral action of your government is wholly contrary to the inter-state riparian rights as per the 1945 understanding when the Hirakud dam was planned Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister