Cuttack: Taking up a miscellaneous petition filed over Mahanadi water dispute between Orissa and Chhattisgarh governments, the High Court Wednesday raised questions about making the Chief Minister of Orissa as a party to the case.
Chief Justice Vineet Saran and Justice BR Sarangi heard the petition seeking to make CM Naveen Patnaik and Central Water Commission as parties to the case. The petition pleaded that the chief minister was not made a party to the case personally, rather as the head of the state and he was also holding the water resources portfolio.
Petitioner’s counsel advocate Ashok Kumar Mohapatra pleaded in the court saying the CM was aware of the construction of several dams by Chhattisgarh since April 10, 2001.
Mohapatra informed the court the issue was discussed in the Assembly and the then Korei MLA Ashok Das had raised questions about the possible impact of the dams being built by Chhattisgarh on the upper catchment of Mahandi river.
The chief minister, in his reply to MLA Radharani Panda, March 21 this year had said that the state government was aware of the Kelo project at Raigad. Of the 55 river projects being taken up by the neighbouring state, some have been completed while others are under construction, the CM had said in the House.
Similarly, replying to a question of BJD member Raseswari Panigrahy, the CM May 2, 2016 had said that a high-level inter-state coordinate committee has been formed to look into the issues of Mahanadi water management and flood control.
The petitioner, Mahanadi Bachao Mancha convener Barada Prasanna Patnaik, also submitted copies of Assembly proceedings and media reports in this regard.
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