The hearing over the Mahanadi water dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh was postponed to July 13 by the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal in New Delhi on Saturday.
As soon as the proceedings started in the tribunal, both Odisha and Chhattisgarh Governments pleaded for a period of four weeks because the third joint meeting between them couldn’t take place owing to Cyclone Fani hitting Odisha on May 3.
The tribunal accepted the pleas and fixed the next date of hearing on July 13.
“For the Cyclone Fani, State officials are busy in relief and rehabilitation works in the affected districts. Thus, the Government couldn’t hold another joint meeting and failed to undertake site visit. Therefore, we pleaded for more time to conduct site visit, prepare a report and submit it to the tribunal,” informed Odisha Advocate General Surya Prasad Mishra.