Mahanadi water row: Odisha takes protest to Delhi streets

Bhubaneswar: To reiterate the demand for formation of a tribunal to resolve the Mahandi water dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh, over 200 members of Agami Odisha, a regional outfit, on Tuesday started a five-day Satyagrah at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.
Representatives of different political parties and social organizations will also be participating in the protest, Mahanadi Banchao Andolan, to mount pressure on the Centre and Chhattisgarh government to stop unilateral constructions on the Mahanadi.
“During the course of the protest, a delegation will meet the President, Prime Minister and Union Water Resources Minister and apprise them about the longstanding water sharing dispute,” said Mahanadi Banchao Andolan convenor Sudarshan Das.
Construction of barrages by the neighbouring state on upper catchment of the river and its tributaries had started affecting the flow of water to Odisha. Effective steps should, therefore, immediately be taken to stop all the projects on the Mahanadi, he added.