BHUBANESWAR: Even as the State Government has welcomed the Centre's proposal for a chief ministerial level talks to resolve the dispute over Mahanadi river water, Chhatisgarh's delay in providing information sought by the Odisha government on the construction activities undertaken by it has made mattersuncertain.
The state government had requested the Chhatisgarh government to provide all information on dams and barrages constructed by it over river Mahanadi and its tributaries last month. However, as there was no response from the neighbouring state, the Odisha government has sent a reminder. Sources said there is no response so far from the Chhatisgarh government to the reminder from the Odisha government.
The Chhatisgarh government had agreed to provide all information in this regard at the chief secretary level talks between the two state at New Delhi on July 29.
"The chief minister is ready to discuss the issue with his Chhatisgarh counterpart Raman Singh in the presence of union water resources minister Uma Bharti. But the Odisha government should have all information on the projects taken up by Chhattisgarh to make the talks fruitful," BJD spokesperson and former minister Pratap Deb said.
What will the chief minister discuss with his Chhatisgarh counterpart at the meeting if there is no information from the neighbouring state on the projects planned by it and already constructed over the river, Deb said.
A delegation of BJP leaders from Odisha including Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan had called on Bharti in New Delhi on August 25 and requested her to sort out Mahanadi water dispute at the earliest.
“I will hold a meeting with the Chief Ministers of Odisha and Chhattisgarh on a mutually convenient date between September 10 and 20, 2016 in New Delhi to ensure that no injustice is done to Odisha,” Bharti said after the meeting.
Odisha has been raising its voice against Chhattisgarh government's plans to 13 barrages across Mahanadi river. The neighbouring state also has been constructing seven pick up weirs over the river.