The Odisha Government on Saturday requested the Centre for more clarity on the inter-State river water management issues. The State Government claimed that it has not been informed about the techno-economic clearance to the Kelo Major Irrigation Project of Chhattisgarh.
The Chief Secretaries of Odisha and Chhattisgarh had attended a meeting chaired by an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) of the Union Water Resources Ministry to discuss the Mahanadi water dispute in New Delhi on July 29.
Odisha State Water Resources Secretary Pradeep Jena requested the Union Water Resources Ministry to issue revised minutes of the meeting by incorporating the points raised by his Government.
Jena said the Chhattisgarh Government had not shared any information regarding the proposed Master Plan to utilise the available water of the upper Mahanadi basin.
“It appears that the said Master Plan which is believed to be currently under consideration of the Central Water Commission (CWC) proposes 88 per cent utilisation of the available water of upper Mahanadi basin. No information regarding this proposed Master Plan is available with Government of Odisha,” said Jena in a letter to the Ministry.
He said the same has neither been shared by Chhattisgarh nor by the CWC.
He said that Odisha was not informed when the CWC gave techno-economic clearance to the Kelo Major Irrigation Project of Chhattisgarh.
“Such unilateral actions by CWC are not in proper spirit of Inter-State River Water Management,” said Jena. “We have requested the Ministry to incorporate the points in the revised minutes of the meeting and send to both the Governments,” Jena told reporters here.