New Delhi/ Bhubaneswar, October 1: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday chaired a meeting with Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai in New Delhi to discuss the long-pending Mahanadi water-sharing dispute between the two states.
C. R. Patil, Union Minister of Jal Shakti (Water Resources), was also present in the meeting.
The meeting is aimed at finding a mutually acceptable solution to the dispute, which has remained unresolved for several years.
Odisha had approached the Centre in November 2016 seeking the constitution of a tribunal to adjudicate the dispute over the sharing of Mahanadi waters. Following the failure of negotiations, the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal was constituted in March 2018.
Odisha has maintained that water projects constructed in the upper reaches of the Mahanadi in Chhattisgarh affect the river's downstream flow into Odisha, particularly during the non-monsoon season.
Chhattisgarh, meanwhile, has maintained that it requires its share of Mahanadi water for irrigation, industrial and domestic requirements.
The Centre has in recent months emphasised resolving the issue through dialogue, technical cooperation and consensus between the two states.
In July, the two Chief Ministers held discussions under the chairmanship of the Union Jal Shakti Minister. Both states subsequently gave a written assurance to the Central Water Commission that they would accept any decision taken by the Commission in the larger interest of Odisha and Chhattisgarh.
