BHUBANESWAR: Even as the Centre decides to issue a notification for formation of a special tribunal to resolve the Mahanadi river water dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh by November 19, the
Biju Janata Dal (BJD) today reiterated its demand that Chhattisgarh should stop construction work on all projects on the upstream of the river.
Senior BJD leader and Rajya Sabha MP Prasanna Acharya said the Centre's submission before the Supreme Court to issue notification for a tribunal by November 19 to resolve the issue has vindicated the demand of Odisha government and is a moral victory for the state. However, the tribunal should start functioning immediately after its constitution and Chhattisgarh should be asked to stop all project works till its order, he said.
The Ranja Sabha MP hoped that the tribunal will give a stay order on construction activities by Chhattisgarh on river Mahanadi. "Nobody knows how long the tribunal will take to resolve the dispute
between the two states," he said.
BJD spokesperson Sasmit Patra said Odisha government had gone to the Supreme Court after not getting justice from the Centre and other central agencies. The decision for formation of a special tribunal to resolve the Mahanadi river water dispute has vindicated the stand of the state government, he said.
The Odisha government had moved the Supreme Court alleging construction of projects and barrages in the upper catchment of Mahanadi which could pose socio-economic and ecological hazards to the
State and sought its intervention over formation of a special tribunal.
The state government had sought the apex court’s intervention to direct the Chhattisgarh government to stop barrage project work over Mahanadi in upstream areas and ask the Centre to form a tribunal
under Section-3 of the Inter-state River Water Disputes Act, 1956 to resolve the matter.