BHUBANESWAR: In a significant development in the Mahanadi river water dispute, Chhattisgarh chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai has assured his Odisha counterpart Mohan Charan Majhi that the proposal given by him for an amicable resolution is under consideration.
Sai said in a letter on Friday to Mohan Charan Majhi, "I am in receipt of your letter of July 25, 2025, regarding the proposal for an amicable settlement of the Mahanadi water disputes between our states and the same is under consideration." The Odisha chief minister had reached out to the Chhattisgarh chief minister, proposing that the dispute, which has been persisting for several years, should be resolved through talks between the two states.
Meanwhile, the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal has deferred its next hearing to September 6, informed Advocate General Pitambar Acharya. He said that there has been progress in discussions at both the chief secretary and political levels, with both states expressing willingness to move toward a settlement.
Presiding over a high level meeting on July 23, Majhi had emphasised on an early solution to the water dispute. "The Mahanadi river water dispute with Chhattisgarh can be resolved through discussions between the governments of the two states with support from the Centre. The Central Water Commission (CWC) can provide technical assistance in this regard," he had stated.
Sai and Majhi had in March 22 agreed to find a way for a peaceful and amicable solution to the Mahanadi water sharing dispute between the two neighbouring states. Sai met Majhi at the Lok Seva Bhavan here during a visit to Odisha. Majhi also had a discussion with Sai regarding the water dispute at the conference of water resources ministers in Rajasthan in February.