Mahanadi water dispute: Odisha to convene all-party meet on Jan 23

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government will convene an all-party meeting on January 23 as part of its efforts to resolve the Mahanadi water dispute with neighbouring Chhattisgarh.  

This was revealed by Deputy Chief Minister KV Singh Deo after a meeting of the inter-ministerial committee on Mahanadi water dispute here today.

The inter-ministerial committee is scheduled to visit Chhattisgarh on January 31 and February 1. Prior to this, the Odisha government will convene an all-party meet on Mahanadi water dispute, said Singh Deo.

On the basis of the outcomes of the all-party meet, the committee will put forth Odisha’s stand on the dispute before Chhattisgarh, he added.

Centre urged to extend tenure of Mahanadi tribunal

The tribunal, formed by the Centre to resolve the interstate Mahanadi water dispute, will conduct its next hearing on February 7. Odisha as well as Chhattisgarh will submit their pleas before the tribunal, stated the Deputy Chief Minister.

“The tribunal had been set up by the Centre on March 12, 2018 and its tenure is scheduled to end on March 13 this year. A proposal has been moved before the Centre to extend the tenure of the tribunal,” said the Deputy Chief Minister.

It is worth mentioning here that the Odisha government had formed the eight-member inter-ministerial committee in December last year to expedite process for the resolution of the water dispute. Singh Deo had been assigned the task to head the committee.