Mahanadi row: CM urges PM to expedite tribunal formation

Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to expedite the issuance of notification for constitution of a tribunal to resolve the Mahanadi river water sharing dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh.

In the letter dated 7.11.2017, the chief minister said the delay was allowing Chhattishgarh government to go ahead with the construction of six barrages on the Mahandi which is likely to prejudicially affect the interests of Odisha and its inhabitants especially during the non-monsoon period.

Naveen said the Odisha government had filed a statutory complaint under Section 3 of the Inter State River Water Disputes (ISRWD) Act of 1956 on November 19, 2016, seeking constitution of a tribunal for the adjudication of the water disputes in respect of Mahanadi and its basin between riparian states of Odisha and Chhattisgarh. Early in January, he had also requested the Centre to initiate the constitution of a tribunal, he said.

The chief minister said the tribunal is supposed to be constituted before November 19 as per the provision of Section 4 (A) of the Act, which mandates that if the Central Government is of the opinion that the water dispute cannot be settled by negotiations, it shall within a period not exceeding one year from the date of receipt of such request by notification in the Official Gazette, constitute a water disputes tribunal for adjudication of the water dispute.

He further said Additional Solicitor General appearing for the Centre apprised the Supreme Court that the Union Ministry of Water Resources had prepared a note for a decision by the Cabinet on the constitution of a Tribunal. The apex court in its order too mentions November 19 for the same, he added.