Odisha, Chhattisgarh to hold Mahanadi talks on May 23

BHUBANESWAR: An official delegation from Chhattisgarh will visit Odisha on May 23 for another round of discussions for resolving the sticking points of Mahanadi water sharing dispute between the two riparian states.

Informing about the development, deputy chief minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, who is heading the all-party committee constituted to address the long-pending Mahanadi water dispute, expressed optimism over a negotiated settlement outside the formal adjudication process of the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal.

Singh Deo said the current government in Chhattisgarh had shown greater willingness fordialogue compared to the previous Congress regime. “Never before had the earlier Congress government in Chhattisgarh shown such seriousness towards a negotiated settlement of the issue,” he said adding, both states were now moving towards a constructive engagement process.

Water Resources department principal secretary Shubha Sarma on Saturday gave an update to the deputy chief minister on the development in discussions held so far between the two states and progress made at various institutional levels.He said that detailed data-based reports concerning the river’s water availability and usage had already have been placed before the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal after nearly 15 rounds of meetings and consultations. “No water dispute in the country has ever been fully resolved through a tribunal alone. Mutual understanding and negotiated settlement remain the only practical way forward,” he said.

Acharya maintained that the government will not compromise on the state’s legitimate share of water even if some adjustments were required during negotiations. He further said that although court proceedings had seen little during the last seven years, recent developments had created a positive atmosphere.

“The tribunal has accepted proposals from both states and discussions are progressing in the right direction,” he added.