All-party meet decides to form joint panel to protect interest of Odisha on Mahanadi row

03 August, New Delhi

An all-party meeting convened by Leader of Opposition Narasingh Mishra Wednesday agreed that a joint committee should be formed to protect the interests of Odisha in the ongoing Mahanadi water dispute with Chhattisgarh.

The ruling BJD and Samajwadi Party did not participate in the meeting.

Addressing the media in Bhubaneswar, Mishra said, a committee will be set up within seven days.

The body will take steps to secure the interests of the State and will work to save Mahanadi water, he said. The senior Congress leader informed that a memorandum in this regard will be submitted to the Governor on 10th August.

Participants of today’s meeting expressed doubts about efficacy of the bilateral agreement signed between Odisha and Madya Pradesh in 1983 in solving any issue arising Mahanadi waters.

They stressed that the State government should push for the constitution of a tribunal to bring the issue to a logical conclusion.

In a related development, the ruling party today stopped all Chhattisgarh bound goods trains at railway stations for half an hour as a token protest on the issue.BM