BHUBANESWAR: The Mahanadi River Water Disputes Tribunal has fixed February 7 as the next date of hearing after reviewing the progress of the ongoing talks between Odisha and Chhattisgarh governments to resolve the dispute.
Odisha’s advocate general Pitambar Acharya informed the Tribunal about the ongoing talks and steps taken by the state government to facilitate a negotiated settlement. He told TNIE that the Tribunal, at its hearing on Saturday, expressed satisfaction over the progress made in this regard.
Acharya informed the Tribunal that the joint technical committee of the two states met twice recently, on December 5 and 12, to discuss various aspects of the dispute, both of which have yielded positive outcomes. He also apprised the Tribunal of the all-party committee constituted by the Odisha government under the chairmanship of deputy chief minister KV Singh Deo to examine all issues related to the dispute and pursue its resolution through talks with Chhattisgarh.
The first meeting of the committee will be held on Tuesday (December 23). The Tribunal has also asked the Chhattisgarh government to constitute an all-party committee like Odisha to assist in negotiation between the two states, he said.
“The Odisha government is consistently working to resolve the issue at the earliest. The Chhattisgarh government has also shown a positive approach towards resolving the dispute through talks. Many contentious issues between the two states will be resolved through talks by the next hearing,” Acharya asserted.