**Bhubaneswar: ** Close on the heels of his earlier reminder to the Prime Minister on November 7, 2017, Odisha Chief Minister on Friday (November 17) has reiterated his request for immediate issuance of notification for constituting a Tribunal for early initiation of the process of adjudication of the Mahanadi dispute.
In his latest letter to the PM, Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik has mentioned, “In my letter dated 7th November, 2017, it was also brought to your kind notice that the Additional Solicitor General appearing for the Union of India in Original Suit No. 1 of 2017 (filed by the State of Odisha) had appraised Hon’ble Supreme Court on 02.05.2017 that the Union Ministry of Water Resources has prepared a Note for the decision of the Cabinet on constitution of the Tribunal. The same submission was made by the Union Government on the last date of hearing of the said Suit held on 09.10.2107 before the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India.”
“I would like to emphasize here that the timeline of one year for constitution of the Tribunal for adjudicating the Mahanadi water dispute under Section 4(1) of the ISRWD Act, 1956 is getting over on 18th November 2017. However, the Union Government has not yet constituted the Tribunal despite my repeated requests over the last one year,” the Odisha CM has pointed out in his letter.
The CM in his letter concludes, “I would earnestly seek your personal intervention in the matter for issuing appropriate directives for constituting the Tribunal within the stipulated timeline for early adjudication of the concerns of the people of Odisha.”
