Three-hour Rail Roko In Odisha Over Mahanadi Issue on Dec 9

Bhubaneswar: Intensifying its protest against the Central Government’s denial for formation of an inter-state tribunal to resolve the Mahanadi river dispute, the Mahanadi Bachao Andolan (MBA) here on Thursday decided to stop plying of goods trains carrying minerals, especially coal, iron ore and manganese, from Odisha to other states from 10 am to 1 pm on December 9.

Representatives of 13 political party held a discussion and approved the proposal of MBA and assured their support.

“We call upon the people of Odisha and all those concerned for the interest of the state to support the movement and stop all the goods trains for three hours in different parts of Odisha,” MBA convenor Sudarshan Das said.

On Wednesday, the Centre told the Supreme Court there was no need
to form an inter-state tribunal to resolve the Mahanadi water dispute.

In an affidavit submitted to the apex court, the Centre blamed the Odisha
government for its alleged failure in providing relevant facts and
figures required for formation of a tribunal.

“The Centre has stated that the long-standing issue can be sorted out
mutually through negotiation. Detailed information relating to total
crop requirement, water requirement and basin area are needed to
constitute a tribunal, but the Odisha government has failed to provide the
same”, the Union government’s counsel Wasim A Kadri was reported to have said.