Mahanadi Project Issue: Odisha Proposes Tripartite Meeting On Sep 17

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday requested the Centre to convene the proposed tripartite meeting on September 17 to resolve the Mahanadi water dispute with the Chhattisgarh government.

The tripartite meeting would be attended by the Chief Ministers of Odisha and Chhattisgarh and Union Minister for Water Resources Uma Bharti.

The state government expects that it would provide a breakthrough in the ongoing dispute between the two states on sharing of Mahanadi water.

“Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has proposed the Water Resources Ministry to convene the proposed tripartite meeting on September 17 at New Delhi to discuss the Mahanadi water issue,” said a release from CMO.

Uma Bharti had asked the state government to suggest a possible date for a tripartite meeting to resolve the Mahanadi water issue.

Before tripartite meeting at New Delhi, the Chief Minister would hold a preparatory meeting at the state secretariat here on September 12.

Earlier, the Water Resources Ministry had held a meeting on July 29. It was attended by chief secretaries of both the state to sort out the Mahanadi issue. However, the meeting failed to resolve the issue as the Odisha government did not respond to the proposal for a joint control board to sort out the issue.

The BJD delegation, which inspected the projects constructed by the Chhattisgarh government in the upper catchment areas of Mahanadi river, is yet to submit the report to the state government.

The Odisha government alleged that Chhattisgarh constructed the projects without taking on confidence. It said the government was not kept in the loop while the projects were approved.

However, several letters, which were circulated to media, nailed at the Odisha government’s lie.

Besides, the Chief Minister had informed the state Assembly in 2000 that the government was aware of the constructions by the Chhattisgarh government.