Bhubaneshwar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to expedite the issuance of notification for formation of a tribunal to resolve the Mahanadi river water dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh.

“The delay in constituting the tribunal has been taken advantage of by the state of Chhattisgarh in going ahead with construction work of six barrages on the main Mahanadi river, which is likely to prejudicially affect the interests of Odisha and its inhabitants, particularly during the non-monsoon period,” Patnaik wrote to Modi.

Odisha has been opposing Chhattisgarh’s act of constructing barrages on the upstream of river Mahanadi as this will adversely affect the flow of water to Hirakud reservoir.

Patnaik said the Odisha government had filed a statutory complaint on November 11, 2016 under Sec 3 of the Inter State River Water Dispute (ISRWD) Act of 1956 seeking constitution of a Water Dispute Tribunal under Sec 4(1) of the ISRWD Act, 1956 for the adjudication of the water dispute in respect of inter state river Mahanadi and its basin between Odisha and Chhattisgarh.

The Supreme Court on October 9 this year had directed the Central government to issue notification on tribunal formation by November 19, 2017.

“In this regard, I may like to draw your kind attention to the fact that the Additional Solicitor General appearing for the Union of India in the Original Suit No 1 of 2017 (filed by the state of Odisha) had apprised the Hon’ble Supreme Court on 02.05.2017 that the Union Ministry of Water Resources has prepared a Note for the decision of the Cabinet on the constitution of a Tribunal and reference of Odisha’s complaint dated 19.11.2016 for adjudication….,” Patnaik mentioned in the letter.