Bhubaneswar: In a major move to resolve the long-standing Mahanadi River water dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah is set to chair a crucial meeting to be attended by the Chief Ministers of both states on October 1.
Sharing this information on Monday, Odisha Advocate General Pitambar Acharya said the meeting would seek to advance discussions between the two states on the sharing of Mahanadi waters. He expressed hope that a mutually acceptable solution to the issue is likely to emerge soon.
The Secretary of the Central Water Commission (CWC) has submitted details of the last two meetings to the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal in accordance with its directions. The tribunal has taken the details on record, he said.
Stating that a meeting of Chief Ministers of the two states will be held under the chairmanship of the Union Home Minister, Acharya said a path towards resolving the dispute through mutual understanding is emerging.
Odisha had maintained from the beginning that the issue could be resolved through mutual understanding and expressed optimism about a positive outcome soon, he said.
The development comes barely 10 days after Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai visited Odisha and met his counterpart Mohan Charan Majhi in Bhubaneswar on September 20. The two chief ministers held discussions for over an hour.
After the meeting, Sai had said there was no major problem between the two states over Mahanadi waters and expressed confidence that the issue would be resolved soon.
He had also said that the chief ministers and officials of Odisha and Chhattisgarh had earlier held discussions in Delhi and agreed to accept the CWC’s recommendations if they were beneficial to both states.
The Mahanadi water-sharing issue has remained a contentious matter between Odisha and Chhattisgarh, with the dispute pending before the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal.
