BHUBANESWAR: The Centre has extended the tenure of the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal till April 13, 2026. The extension was given following a request from the Centre to consider the period from March, 2020 to June, 2021 during which the tribunal could not function due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This is the third extension given to the tribunal for adjudication of the dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh over Mahanadi river water.
The latest extension has come following field visits by the tribunal to Chhattisgarh and Odisha in two phases from April 17 to May 9. In a notification, the Jal Shakti Ministry said the tribunal was required to submit its report and decision as required under sub-section (2) of section 5 of the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956 within three years by March 11, 2021.
But as it could not submit the report within the deadline due to unavoidable reasons, it had requested the Centre for an extension. On November 19, 2016, the state government had filed a complaint with the Ministry of Water Resources requesting the Centre for adjudication of water disputes in respect to Mahanadi river and its basin between Odisha and Chhattisgarh and refer the complaint to the tribunal. Subsequently, the Centre constituted Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal on March 12, 2018 following a Supreme Court order.