Mahanadi Tribunal issue: Supreme Court defers hearing

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KalingaTV News Network

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday deferred its hearing over the Mahanadi tribunal issue. The hearing was deferred due to absence of Judge.

A bench comprising Justices S.A Bobde and L Nageswara Rao were slated to conduct the hearing on the inter-state river water dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh.

The Apex Court had on December 11, 2017 directed the Ministry of Water Resources to file a detailed report on formation of a tribunal by the third week of January failing which the court would hear the case on the basis of merit.

The court had expressed its displeasure over Centre’s negligence in not portraying a clear picture on formation of a tribunal to resolve Mahanadi water dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh. Attorney General KK Venugopal was scheduled to clarify the Centre’s stand over the matter today.

Odisha has been opposing Chhattisgarh’s plans to build 13 barrages and seven pick up weirs (small dams) across Mahanadi river, in a plan to extract more water. Odisha had said this would adversely affect the interest of its farmers. It had urged the Union government to form a tribunal to resolve the issue.

However, the Centre has been saying that the ongoing dispute should be sorted out through negotiations between the concerned parties. Besides, it had blamed the Odisha government over failure of negotiation.

The Centre had told the court that Odisha was not coming forward for negotiation in the matter.

Earlier, on July 25, 2017 the Centre and both the state governments presented their sides in the court.

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