The Central Water Commission (CWC) has submitted an affidavit in the Orissa High Court stating that the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act-1956 does not have any provision for any individual or association asking to set up any special river tribunal to decide utilisation of the Mahanadi basin water.
“Such claims or demands for setting up of tribunal could only come from the Governments of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra and Jharkhand regarding availability and utilisation of waters of Mahanadi basin,” the CWC affidavit said and urged the court to reject a PIl in this regard.
The Mahanadi Bachao Manch, a State-based forum, has approached the HC to restrain the Chhattisgarh Government from constructing “illegal” structures on Mahanadi. The PIl has also sought the court’s intervention for setting up a tribunal on Mahanadi water utilisation.
After preliminary hearings, the HC had issued notices to the CWC, the apex body of the country on water resources, to file its counters to the PIl. The CWC, however, in its affidavit has said that a ‘Negotiation Committee’ has been set up under Section 3 of the Act of 1956 regarding utilisation of Mahanadi water.
The matter would come up for further hearing in the High Court later this month, sources said.