The State Government on Saturday rejected the Centre’s Negotiation Committee to address the Mahanadi water dispute and instead insisted on formation of a tribunal to sort out the issue.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing his concern that the Central Government has failed to instruct Chhattisgarh to stop forthwith its works of ongoing projects in the Mahanadi basin.
“My Government rejects the Negotiation Committee and requests your good self to instruct the Ministry of Water Resources, RD&GR to withdraw the Office Memorandum dated 19.01.2017 constituting the Committee and initiate the constitution of a Tribunal as the water disputes raised in the statutory complaint of my Government dated 19. 11.2016 cannot be resolved by negotiations. Pending formation of a Tribunal,” said Patnaik in the letter.
He, however, informed Modi that he is ready to attend a meeting at his level to sort out the problem. “However, as a last and final chance to settle the dispute by negotiation, I am open to attend a meeting at your level if a meeting of the Chief Ministers of the riparian States is called immediately,” Patnaik added.