Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi Thursday said that Odisha will soon get its rights over the Mahanadi River waters through a legal and amicable solution to the dispute with neighbouring Chhattisgarh.
Majhi made the assertion while replying to a written question from Congress member Taraprasad Bahinipati in the assembly.
“Mahanadi is considered the lifeline of Odisha, and the state government, since the last one-and-a-half years, is striving to resolve the water-sharing dispute through legal as well as amicable negotiations. Odisha will get its rights very soon,” the chief minister said.
The dispute over sharing Mahanadi waters between Odisha and Chhattisgarh has continued for over a decade after the latter allegedly constructed several barrages and dams on the upstream of the river, blocking the free flow of water downstream.
The dispute finally led to the formation of the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal in 2018. However, after the BJP came to power in Odisha in 2024, the state government has started an initiative to resolve the issue through amicable negotiation between the two BJP-ruled states.
“Majhi and his Chhattisgarh counterpart Vishnu Deo Sai have informally talked regarding the Mahanadi water dispute. The matter has also been discussed at the Eastern Zonal Conference chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Mahaling informed the House on behalf of the chief minister while replying to questions.
Mahaling said that following informal talks between the two chief ministers, the chief secretaries of the two states held a meeting in New Delhi August 30 this year and discussed how to resolve the issue. Another review between the chief secretaries was held November 10.
The minister said both states were discussing the volume of water to be released to Odisha during the non-monsoon season so that the Hirakud reservoir could be managed properly according to the Curve Rule.
Stating that the joint technical committee (JTC) comprising the engineers of both states has so far met six times, the minister said the next such sitting is scheduled to be held December 5 as part of the ongoing exercise aimed at resolving the long-standing Mahanadi water dispute.
The minister said that the state government will inform the Tribunal about the development of the amicable negotiation between the two states at its next hearing December 20.