BHUBANESWAR: The Mahanadi River Water Disputes Tribunal on Saturday fixed the next date of hearing on Mahanadi river dispute to September 6 following interest shown by Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and his Chhattisgarh counterpart Vishnu Deo Sai for an amicable settlement through dialogue.
“Following the correspondence between the chief ministers of the two states and statements of the senior advocates of the two states, we deem it appropriate to give some more time to resolve the dispute amicably, as may be possible,” the Tribunal said in its order.
The Tribunal asked the secretaries concerned of the two states to remain present before it on the next date to apprise it about the progress of the settlement talks.
Earlier, the Tribunal in its July 17 order had asked the counsels of both the states to apprise it about progress of such discussion or decision, if any, on August 2. As per the order, advocate general of Odisha Pitambar Acharya placed a copy of the letter written by Majhi on July 25 to Sai along with the minutes of the high-level meeting held in this regard at the Lok Seva Bhawan on July 23. A copy of the response of the Chhattisgarh chief minister was also placed. Senior advocate of Chhattisgarh AK Ganguly informed the Tribunal that the issue of settlement of the dispute is under active consideration of the chief minister of the state.
Majhi in his letter to Sai had proposed that under guidance of the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, a joint committee headed by an official of the Central Water Commission (CWC) be set up to go through the issue of amicably solving the dispute. He said the committee would comprise senior technical officials from Odisha and Chhattisgarh and aim to facilitate sustained dialogue and technical negotiations to reach a mutually-beneficial settlement.
The chief minister said he firmly believed that with collective effort and active cooperation of both the states and CWC, a just, equitable and timely resolution to the pressing issue can be achieved. “Such a resolution will not only bring peace and stability, but also foster greater cooperation, trust and goodwill between Odisha and Chhattisgarh, paving the way for future collaborations,” he stated.
Sai, in his reply to Majhi on Friday said, “I am in receipt of your letter of July 25, 2025 regarding the proposal for an amicable settlement of the Mahanadi water dispute between our states and the same is under consideration.”
Majhi and Sai had also held discussion on the issue at a meeting in Bhubaneswar on March 22.