A decisive step towards ending the long-standing Mahanadi water dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh has been taken. The Mahanadi Tribunal has stressed the need for a permanent solution through mutual dialogue, paving the way for the Chief Ministers of both states to sit together under the mediation of the Central Government.
Odisha Advocate General Pitambar Acharya, who represented the state at the tribunal hearing in New Delhi on Saturday, shared the positive development with the media. “Significant progress has been made for a permanent resolution of the Mahanadi water dispute,” he said, adding that the Tribunal expressed satisfaction over the advancement.
Technical and administrative teams from both states have held repeated meetings and resolved several issues, the Advocate General informed. As per the Tribunal’s directive, a joint meeting of legal teams, administrative officials and technical experts will be convened shortly. The objective is to identify and set aside irrelevant matters and concentrate on the core relevant issues.
Acharya said comprehensive data on the water claims of both states, the volume of water generated in the Mahanadi and the river’s flow pattern has already been prepared. A meeting between the Chief Ministers of Odisha and Chhattisgarh will be organised under the Central Government’s mediation to give final shape to the resolution process.
The Central Government has extended the tenure of the Mahanadi Tribunal till January 13, 2027. The post of Tribunal Chairman had remained vacant for nine months after Justice Khanwilkar. The next hearing is scheduled for April 20.
Acharya expressed strong optimism that the decades-old dispute would be resolved soon. He also noted that the Tribunal is handling the sensitive issues related to the Ib and Tel rivers with due care and will continue discussions on them in the next hearing. The Tribunal has further directed that the report of its Odisha visit be placed on record in the proceedings.
Reacting to the development, BJD MLA Ganeshwar Behera questioned the delay in resolution despite BJP governments functioning at the Centre, in Odisha and in Chhattisgarh — the so-called “triple engine” government. He asked whether the government was deliberately prolonging the matter and whether it genuinely intended to resolve the dispute.
PCC President Bhakta Charan Das, on the other hand, asked what Odisha’s 20 MPs were doing and urged them to speak up strongly to safeguard the state’s interests. He also questioned the sincerity of the government in handling the issue.
