BHUBANESWAR: Union Jal Shakti minister CR Patil on Thursday assured to resolve the long-standing Mahanadi river water dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh soon.
On a visit to the state to participate in Swachhata Hi Seva (SHS) 2024 campaign in Puri district, Patil told mediapersons here that the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal is leaving no stone unturned to find a solution to the issue as soon as possible. “We are committed to finding a fair and equitable solution that benefits both the states,” the minister said.
The Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal was constituted on March 12, 2018 following a Supreme Court order in response to a petition of the state government seeking its intervention to restrain Chhattisgarh from constructing dams and barrages on the upper reaches of Mahanadi.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi who made a courtesy visit to the Union minister at the state guest house is stated to have taken up the issue with Patil. While informing about the irrigation potential created in the state especially under the PM Krishi Sinchayee Yojana, Majhi requested Patil for early release of central assistance for expeditious completion of irrigation projects under construction.
The minister’s visit began at Suando village, the birthplace of Utkalamani Pandit Gopabandhu Das, where he participated in tree plantation drives under ‘Ek Ped Ma Ke Naam’. He held discussions with beneficiaries on the individual household latrines (IHHL) programme at Bidyadharpur village, and assessed the various sanitation assets created under Swachh Bharat Mission (gramin).
Addressing a meeting at Biraramachandrapur panchayat, the minister highlighted the impressive progress made under SBM in which toilet access has gone from 12 per cent to 100 per cent. Patil reviewed the progress under SBM-Gramin where 66 per cent of villages have been declared open defecation free (ODF) plus model villages, 91 per cent villages have arrangements for greywater management and 71 per cent villages have arrangements of solid waste management.