Finance
Odisha Advocate General Pitambar Acharya said on Monday that the chief ministers of Odisha and Chhattisgarh will meet on October 1 under the supervision of Union Home Minister Amit Shah to make a fresh push to resolve the long-standing Mahanadi water conflict.
Acharya stated that the conference will aim to further discussions between the two neighboring states on the sharing of Mahanadi waters, and he expressed hope that a mutually acceptable solution might be reached soon.
According to the Advocate General, the Secretary of the Central Water Commission (CWC) has provided information on the last two meetings to the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal in compliance with its instructions. He stated that the details had been recorded by the tribunal.
“A meeting of the two chief ministers will be held under the chairmanship of the Union Home Minister. A path towards resolving the dispute through mutual understanding is emerging,” Acharya said.
He added that Odisha had maintained from the beginning that the issue could be resolved through mutual understanding and expressed optimism about a positive outcome soon.
The development comes around ten days after Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai visited Odisha and met with his counterpart Mohan Charan Majhi on September 20. The two chief ministers discussed for more over an hour.
Following the meeting, Sai stated that there was no serious dispute between the two states over Mahanadi waters and expressed optimism that the matter will be settled shortly.
He further stated that the chief ministers and officials from Odisha and Chhattisgarh had previously met in Delhi and agreed to accept the CWC’s recommendations if they were advantageous to both states.
The Mahanadi water-sharing problem has remained a source of contention between Odisha and Chhattisgarh, with the case currently pending before the Mahanadi Water Dispute Tribunal.
