Previous govt didn’t take steps to resolve Mahanadi dispute: Pujari

Bhubaneswar: With the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal (MWDT) nearing the end of its tenure in April, the matter has once again come into political focus. Odisha Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari on Friday remarked that the previous State government failed to sufficiently safeguard Odisha’s interests during proceedings before the tribunal.

The Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal was constituted in March 2018 under the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956, as both Odisha and Chhattisgarh could not reach an amicable agreement on water sharing.

Addressing the media following a high-level meeting here on Friday, Pujari alleged that during the earlier government’s tenure, no serious effort was made to argue in favour of Odisha’s interests. “For four to five years, only one witness was examined by Odisha. They did not even file a proper written statement or advance arguments before the tribunal,” he said.

The minister further claimed that a statement made by the then Water Resources Minister on the floor of the Assembly -- asserting that Odisha and the Mahanadi would not suffer any loss due to the construction of barrages in Chhattisgarh -- was later used by the neighbouring State as evidence before the tribunal. “That statement became a powerful tool for Chhattisgarh to argue that the construction of barrages caused no harm to the Mahanadi or to Odisha,” Pujari said. He said more than 500 such structures were reportedly completed in Chhattisgarh without any strong objection raised by the previous Odisha government during the period from 2014 to 2024. “We have inherited this problem, but we will use our full wit and wisdom to argue the case and ensure that Odisha gets justice on the Mahanadi issue,” he asserted.

Pujari said the tribunal’s tenure is set to expire on April 13. He also pointed out that there had been a nine-month vacancy in the post of the presiding officer, which delayed the proceedings.

“We have submitted a request to the tribunal and the Central government to extend its tenure by at least nine months, or preferably until the completion of the hearings,” he said.

The minister reiterated the State government’s commitment to pursuing the matter vigorously to protect Odisha’s water rights and interests.

Meanwhile, the Mahanadi Bachao Andolan, an organisation advocating the protection of the Mahanadi river, has expressed strong displeasure over the Odisha Chief Minister’s silence on reports regarding the blocking of Mahanadi river water by the neighbouring State through the construction of a sand embankment downstream of the Kalma barrage. The outfit has also reportedly sent a letter to the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh regarding the issue and announced that a team from the organisation will visit the Kalma barrage on January 27 to review the ground situation.