BHUBANESWAR: As the resolution of the Mahanadi river water dispute through talks has gained ground, BJD on Saturday questioned the sincerity of the triple-engine government to bring closure to the matter.
Addressing a media conference here, BJD senior vice-president Debi Prasad Mishra said Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai has just acknowledged receipt of the letter of Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi proposing dialogue for amicable settlement of the dispute.
“Sai should clarify whether he has accepted the proposal and if he has accepted it, which aspects will be discussed during talks between the two states,” Mishra said.
The BJD leader said the then chief minister Naveen Patnaik had protested construction of several barrages on the upstream of Mahanadi river by Chhattisgarh. But then BJP government headed by Raman Singh did not pay any heed to it.
Mishra said in 2016, under the mediation of Union Water Resources minister Uma Bharti efforts were made to resolve the issue through talks. But there was not much progress following which the Odisha government approached the Supreme Court. A Tribunal was constituted on March 12, 2018. The dispute is pending in the Tribunal since then.
Countering the BJD, the BJP said that a political party which was in office for the last 24 years could not take a single step to resolve the issue. But it is now opposing the steps taken by the BJP government to resolve the issue amicably, state spokesperson Anil Biswal said.