Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has spent Rs 92.29 lakh so far for the Tribunal constituted to resolve the Mahanadi water dispute, informed Minister Tukuni Sahu in response to a question by Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia in the Monsoon Session of State Assembly on Thursday.
Replying to an unstarred question asked by the BJP legislator, Water Resources Minister Tukuni Sahu stated that due to construction of several Barrages or Anicuts by the Chattisgarh Government on the upper catchment area of river Mahanadi has led to the scarcity of water in the downstream area. Protesting this, the Odisha Government filed a statutory complaint dated November 19, 2019, under section 3 of the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956.
During the period, the State Government had moved the Supreme Court seeking legal actions against Chhattisgarh through an Injunction Suit and two Interlocutory Applications to save Mahanadi River water.
In compliance with the direction of the apex court, the Centre on March 12, 2018, constituted the Mahanadi Water Tribunal. The State Government through a statement of claim (SOC) urged the Tribunal to ensure the supply of water from the upstream Mahanadi River in Chhattisgarh to Odisha, the hearing of which is underway. The Government has spent a total of Rs 92,29,023 in this regard in the Tribunal in the last 5 years, the Minister added.
Meanwhile, the Tribunal has held 29 meetings and ordered two states to submit complete data and witness affidavits before it.
To conserve water in different rivers, the Odisha Government has decided to construct 46 In-stream Storage Structure (ISS) projects in the state, the Minister further stated.
