Activists, political leaders, and civil society members gathered in large numbers outside the Chief Engineer’s office of the Central Water Commission (CWC) in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday, staging a demonstration under the banner of the Mahanadi Banchao Andolan.
The protest was organised against the non-disclosure of critical data regarding the ongoing Mahanadi water dispute settlement.
The demonstration was presided over by Convener Sudarshan Das and witnessed active participation from across the political spectrum and intellectual community. Protesters expressed deep concern that despite assertions that a mutual settlement would rely on CWC-provided data, the essential facts, technical reports, and allocation frameworks remain hidden from the public domain.
Key Demands Raised by the Movement
The Mahanadi Banchao Andolan outlined three major demands during the demonstration:
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Public Disclosure of CWC Data: Complete release of all technical reports, hydrological data, calculation models, and allocation methodologies.
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Guaranteed Non-Monsoon Flow: Immediate guarantee of a minimum non-monsoon water release of two million acre-feet (2 MAF) to Odisha.
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Impact Assessment of Projects: A comprehensive assessment of the overall impact of all upstream structures built illegally by Chhattisgarh.
Describing the CWC’s proposed framework and underlying data as anti-Odisha and a grave conspiracy against the river’s natural flow, leaders cautioned against any final agreement made behind closed doors.
Delegation Submits Memorandum to Chief Engineer
A high-level delegation led by Convener Sudarshan Das, Joint Convener Basudeb Bhatta, and Spokesperson Prasanna Bisoyi met with CWC Chief Engineer Nag Mohan to hand over a formal memorandum.
The delegation included notable leaders across party lines and civil society groups, including Congress Vice President Shibananda Ray, CPM leader Pradipta Nayak, Aam Aadmi Party’s Sandipta Das, Chilika Banchao Andolan leader Paresh Jali, senior journalist Girija Das, Prabhasini Rout, and Malaya Mohapatra.
Chief Engineer Nag Mohan assured the delegation that their memorandum and core demands would be forwarded to the CWC headquarters in New Delhi for immediate consideration.
Call for People’s Movement and Legal Action
This protest follows a recent round-table conference organised by the Mahanadi Banchao Andolan, where participants unanimously decided that no water-sharing treaty should be finalised without an independent technical verification and full data transparency.
Organisers reiterated that if any mutual settlement or final Tribunal decree fails to protect the uninterrupted flow of the Mahanadi and the ecological interests of its basin, the movement will challenge the decision in the Supreme Court. They also emphasised taking the issue beyond official corridors to build a mass public movement involving every citizen living in the Mahanadi basin.
Prominent figures attending the demonstration included former Minister Panchanan Kanungo, Forward Bloc Secretary Jyoti Ranjan Mohapatra, Er. Lalit Mohan Patnaik, BJD leader Durga Samantaray, former Congress MP Jagannath Patnaik, Human Rights Front Chairman Manoj Jena, along with Bijay Pradhan, Arun Jena, Ajay Sethi, Ashok Paikaray, Raj Kishore Parida, Pruthwiraj Jena, Pruthwiraj Sahoo, Manoj Barik, Ashok Sahoo, Gandharba Bhol, and Chinmay Panda.
