In a big jolt for Odisha, the Centre on Wednesday bluntly refused to form a tribunal to resolve the Mahanadi water dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh.
In an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court, the Union Government said the Odisha Government did not provide required information; hence, there is no need to constitute a tribunal.
Central Government counsel Wasim A Qadri said the Odisha Government had been asked to submit information needed for the proposed tribunal by November 19. However, the State did not provide any of the required details. So, on what basis the tribunal would be formed, Qadri questioned.
In reaction to the Union Government’s stand in the court, BJD spokesperson Pratap Keshari Deo said the Centre is trying to hide its faults and pass the buck to Odisha being pressurised by the Chhattisgarh BJP Government. In the earlier hearing of the case, the Centre could have informed the apex court that Odisha hadn’t provided the required information.
BJP legislature Party leader KV Singh Deo said the Odisha Government is not at all serious about the Mahanadi issue. The grounds they had pointed out were not sufficient.