Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Sunday said the state government is serious about the Mahanadi river water sharing dispute and discussions with Chhattisgarh government are on to resolve the issue at the earliest.
Speaking to the mediapersons in Balangir district, CM Majhi said: “The government is aware of the issue and giving emphasis to it. Discussions are on, and I have also held discussions with the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh twice after courtesy meetings.”
He also stated that the state government is contemplating how to expedite the construction works on various proposed projects on the Mahanadi River such as barrages, dams and anicuts in the coming days.
Meanwhile, opposition Biju Janata Dal leader Prasanta Muduli said Mahanadi is the lifeline of Odisha. He said the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD government had raised its voice against the wrongdoing by the Chhattisgarh government in connection with the Mahanadi water sharing dispute.
“As the BJP government is ruling both in the Centre and the state, the people of Odisha are hopeful that the issue will be resolved completely. We welcome the CM’s statement over holding discussions on the issue but what transpired during the discussions should also be made public,” Muduli added.
Senior Congress leader Narasingha Mishra asserted that the statement made by CM Majhi is just a mere political eyewash and ‘jumala’. Mishra said that the Mahanadi water sharing dispute cannot be resolved through discussions.
Notably, the Mahanadi is the largest river in Odisha, which originates from a place near the Raipur area in neighbouring Chhattisgarh. The Odisha government alleged that various projects constructed on the Mahanadi river upstream by the Chhattisgarh government have reduced water flow to the state during the non-monsoon period.
The Centre constituted the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal after a Supreme Court directive in January 2018.
The tribunal completed field visits to places related to the river system located in Odisha and Chhattisgarh in December last year.
(IANS)
