Amit Shah To Hold Odisha, Chhattisgarh CMs’ Meet On Mahanadi Dispute
Centre Makes Fresh Effort To Resolve Long-Running Water-Sharing Dispute
Union Home Minister Amit Shah will chair a high-level meeting with the Chief Ministers of Odisha and Chhattisgarh in New Delhi on Thursday as part of renewed efforts to resolve the long-pending dispute over sharing the waters of the Mahanadi river.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and his Chhattisgarh counterpart Vishnu Deo Sai, along with senior officials and technical representatives from the two states, are expected to attend the meeting. Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Patil is also likely to participate.
The meeting comes amid renewed efforts by the two states to engage in direct dialogue after years of differences over the use and regulation of Mahanadi waters. The dispute has been pending before the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal since 2018, while technical discussions have continued with the involvement of the Central Water Commission (CWC).
Odisha Advocate General Pitambar Acharya said the CWC has placed details of the latest rounds of discussions before the tribunal, and the two states are now exploring the possibility of resolving the issue through mutual understanding.
The latest initiative follows a September 20 meeting between Majhi and Sai in Bhubaneswar. The two Chief Ministers discussed the Mahanadi issue for more than an hour, after which Sai expressed confidence that the matter could be resolved soon.
Earlier, on July 30, Patil had chaired a meeting with the two Chief Ministers as part of the Centre’s efforts to facilitate an amicable settlement.
Odisha Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari has said the state government is optimistic about the latest initiative. He has also pointed out that several barrages had been constructed by Chhattisgarh before the present Odisha government assumed office.
The Centre’s renewed mediation comes soon after a breakthrough in another inter-state water dispute. On August 31, Bihar and Jharkhand signed an MoU on sharing Sone river waters in the presence of Shah, ending a dispute that had continued for about 25 years after the creation of Jharkhand.
The agreement provides for sharing the river’s waters between the two states and is aimed at meeting irrigation and drinking-water requirements.
The Sone agreement has added significance to the Mahanadi talks as the Centre seeks to address long-running inter-state water disputes through dialogue and cooperation. The immediate challenge in the Mahanadi case remains finding an acceptable mechanism for sharing and managing the river’s waters while addressing the concerns of both upstream Chhattisgarh and downstream Odisha.
For Odisha, Thursday’s meeting is being seen as an opportunity to move the dispute beyond prolonged litigation and towards a negotiated settlement.
