BHUBANESWAR: With the next hearing of the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal scheduled for June 27, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday announced that a high-level meeting with his Chhattisgarh counterpart Vishnu Deo Sai will be held soon in New Delhi to explore an amicable resolution to the long-pending river water-sharing dispute.
Speaking during a media interaction marking the second anniversary of his government, Majhi said the proposed meeting would be held in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil.
The chief minister said he had held several rounds of informal discussions with Sai on the sidelines of recent NDA and NITI Aayog Governing Council meetings in New Delhi. According to Majhi, the Chhattisgarh chief minister responded positively to Odisha’s proposal for another round of dialogue aimed at finding a mutually acceptable solution outside the tribunal process.
“Rather than waiting for a unilateral judgment, both states are trying to arrive at a consensus-based settlement,” Majhi said.
As part of the confidence-building exercise, legal and technical teams from Odisha and Chhattisgarh are expected to meet in New Delhi between June 16 and 26. The two sides are likely to prepare a joint report for submission before the Tribunal, outlining issues on which progress has been achieved through bilateral discussions. Officials of the Central Water Commission are also expected to participate in the deliberations.
The central government has extended the tenure of the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal by nine months till January 13 next year, providing time to resolve issues related to the sharing of river water between Odisha and Chhattisgarh, an official said on Saturday.
The Mahanadi dispute centres on Odisha’s concerns over upstream water diversion and construction activities in Chhattisgarh, which it fears could adversely affect river flows into the downstream state.