BHUBANESWAR: A sum of Rs 2.41 crore has been spent from the State exchequer for the visit of members of the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal to Odisha between February 26 and March 2, 2026.
Convenor of Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal, Sudarsan Das, has asserted that Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi owes an explanation to the people of the State as he is also the Water Resources Minister.
Das demanded that there should be an audit by the CAG to fix responsibility for the wastage of public money.
Das said according to information received through RTI, over Rs 1.45 crore was spent for the Tribunal's visit to the upper end of the Mahanadi river in Odisha, while Rs 95.58 lakh was spent on a visit to the lower catchment of the river, like Puri, Chilika and other areas in the coastal region.
Surprisingly, an event management organisation has also been paid Rs 85 lakh in this regard.
The expenditure includes payment of Rs 54 lakh for a two-day hotel stay in Jharsuguda by Tribunal members. Besides, Rs 5 lakh was also paid to a travel agency to cater for the local visits of Tribunal members.
Stating that such a huge amount would have been sufficient for an entire world trip for a person, Das demanded that the government should explain why an event management organisation was hired for the visit of Tribunal members.
Das alleged that this visit of the Tribunal was a family trip as four members had come with family members. Meanwhile, he also asked why they stayed in an expensive hotel when they could have stayed in a government guest house.
Das asked why the advocate general Pitambar Acharya is silent despite raising strong opposition when Rs 5 crore was allegedly spent for the visit of Tribunal members to Odisha in 2023.
The Mahanadi Bachao Andolan has demanded strong action against those responsible for this incident.
