The BJP on Wednesday alleged that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is not at all interested in resolving the Mahanadi water dispute with Chhattisgarh through talks as he intends to take electoral mileage out of a long legal process his Government would adopt for the purpose.
“After failing to get any result out of the protests in front of district Collectorates, the Kalas Yatra by women and the burning of effigies Union Water Resources Minister and Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh, now the State Government has announced to make a human chain from Hirakud to Paradip and take legal course to resolve the issue. From all these, it is evident that the Chief Minister doesn’t want the issue is resolved so that his party will take electoral mileage,” alleged BJP leader and former law Minister Bishwabhushan Harichandan.
Addressing a Press meet, Harichandan said if the State Government approaches the Supreme Court, the latter might advise the Government to take help of the Inter-State Water Dispute Tribunal. Then, the State Government would request to the Union Government to for a Tribunal. The Centre would first try to resolve the issue through talks and, if fails to get any result, then form a Tribunal in a year’s time. The Tribunal would be chaired by a SC Judge would take minimum three years and maximum of five year to conduct the final hearing.
“Patnaik knows all this, and, hence, he opted to take legal course to resolve the Mahanadi water dispute. He is hoodwinking people by announcing new plans for lingering the issue,” said Harichandan.
He wanted to know why Patnaik dissociated from the important decision taken at the tripartite meeting held between him and his Chhattisgarh counterpart Raman Singh and Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti.
“He didn’t go by the decisions on the mere plea that Raman refused to stop barrage construction works. Doesn’t he know that the long legal course will give the Chhattisgarh Government long five years during which it would complete all constructions,” said Harichandan, also a senior lawyer.
Stating that a dispute can’t be resolved at one or two meetings, the saffron party leader said it would have better to resolve the issue through talks.