Odisha Advocate General Pitambar Acharya said that the chief ministers of Odisha and Chhattisgarh, who will meet on October 1 under the direction of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, are expected to make a new effort to end the long-running Mahanadi water conflict.
Acharya expressed hope that a mutually agreeable solution could be reached soon and stated that the conference will aim to advance talks between the two neighboring nations regarding the distribution of Mahanadi waters. The Advocate General claims that in compliance with the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal’s instructions, the Secretary of the Central Water Commission (CWC) has sent information about the previous two meetings. According to him, the tribunal has recorded the information.
Acharya went on to say that Odisha has insisted from the start that the problem could be solved by understanding one another and expressed hope for a favorable result in the near future. About ten days have passed since Vishnu Deo Sai, the chief minister of Chhattisgarh, visited Odisha on September 20 and met with his counterpart, Mohan Charan Majhi. The conversation between the two chief ministers lasted more than an hour.
Following the discussion, Sai stated that there was no significant disagreement between the two states regarding the Mahanadi waters and expressed optimism that the matter will be settled quickly. Additionally, he stated that the chief ministers and officials of Chhattisgarh and Odisha had already met in Delhi and decided to accept the CWC’s recommendations if they were advantageous to both states.
The Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal is currently hearing the controversial Mahanadi water-sharing dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh.
