Bhubaneswar: Strongly favouring efforts to resolve the Mahanadi water dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh through mediation, former chief justice of the Orissa High Court, Justice V.G. Gopala Gowda, has said that the Prime Minister needs to intervene in the issue.
Mediation — not prolonged adjudication — offered the only viable path to resolve the ongoing Mahanadi water dispute between the two neighbouring states, he said.
“It could deliver a faster solution and prove mutually beneficial to all parties involved. The prime minister needs to intervene in the dispute and facilitate a mediation process rather than allow the matter to drag through tribunals,” said Justice Gowda, also a former Supreme Court judge.
There has been little progress in resolving the dispute which has been pending before a tribunal set up by the central government in March 2018, under the directions of the Supreme Court.
Citing the example of the Kaveri River water dispute and other such conflicts, Justice Gowda said adjudication can carry on for years and decades, whereas seeking the mediation route could deliver a faster solution and prove mutually beneficial to all parties involved.
Also, both states are now governed by the same party – Bharatiya Janata Party – as in the Centre, which is why the prospects of a mediation-led settlement could be better, Justice Gowda said while speaking at ‘Mahanadi Sansad’ organised in New Delhi by Mahanadi Bachao Andolan, which has been spearheading the movement for river and riparian rights of people whose lives and livelihoods are tied to Mahanadi.
The Mahanadi Sansad, held to hammer out an alternative dispute resolution, was attended by eminent lawyers, lawmakers, thought leaders, former administrations and civil society groups.
Rajya Sabha Member and Chairman of Parliament’s Petition Committee N D Gupta said the matter of Mahanadi should not be treated as a mere dispute over water as its implications are much wider and bear significant ramifications.
The Sansad resolved to pursue a muti-pronged strategy to resolve the dispute at the earliest, thus protecting the interests of millions of Odisha’s people for whom Mahanadi is a lifeline, said Sudarshan Das convenor of Mahanadi Bachao Andolan. The negotiations must involve all stakeholders and not remain confined to government corridors only, he said.
At Monday’s meeting in New Delhi, the Mahanadi Bachao Andolan decided to launch the Mahanadi Yatra from the origin of the river to its fall in the Bay of Bengal. In addition, it decided to intensify its campaign against pollution, over exploitation and encroachment of the river. River rights activists from different parts of the country joined the meeting and extended their support.
Mahanadi originates in Chhattisgarh, but much of its course runs through Odisha, serving as a lifeline to millions of its people. The dispute over sharing Mahanadi water between Chhattisgarh and Odisha arose following the construction of a large number of dams and barrages in the upper reaches of the river. Odisha, which happens to be the lower riparian state, alleges that most of these constructions, between 2004-2016, in Chhattisgarh violated environmental laws and restricted the flow of water.
The central government set up the Mahanadi River Water Dispute Tribunal in 2018 to adjudicate the matter, but there has been no outcome even after 7 years and two extensions given to the tribunal’s term. Its current term ends in April 2026.
Currently, officer-levels of talks between the two state governments are underway, following which the chief ministers of the two states are expected to meet in November. Justice Gowda said, when the two chief ministers meet, they should jointly propose a mediator.
