The Odisha government on Wednesday constituted an eight-member high-level committee headed by Deputy Chief Minister K V Singh Deo to examine all relevant aspects related to the Mahanadi water dispute and provide necessary policy guidance to the ongoing efforts of the state at the technical and administrative levels.
The Committee, constituted under the direction of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, was formed considering the complexity and sensitive nature of the water-sharing dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh over the Mahanadi River, according to a statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office.
In an attempt to resolve the issue and reach an amicable settlement, the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal (MWDT) was established in 2018 to resolve the water-sharing dispute. However, the interstate dispute still persists.
While Singh Deo will head the high-level committee, the members of the committee are Suresh Pujari (revenue minister), Sampad Swain (industries minister), Prithviraj Harichandan (law minister), Saroj Kumar Pradhan (government chief whip), Niranjan Pujari (BJD MLA), Jaynarayan Mishra (BJP MLA), and Congress MLA Sofia Firdous.
Earlier in November 2024, the State Government had formed an Inter-Ministerial Committee for the amicable settlement of longstanding interstate disputes with neighboring states.
The committee has been assigned the task of resolving land disputes with border states, including the Polavaram project, the Mahanadi River dispute, and the Kotia region, to foster resolution and promote regional harmony.
For a long time, Odisha is locked in multiple disputes with neighbouring states—West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand. The longstanding conflicts primarily involve water-sharing arrangements, dam constructions, and boundary delineations.
Efforts to address water-sharing issues have led to the establishment of two tribunals: the Vansadhara Water Disputes Tribunal, set up in 2009 to mediate between Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, and the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal, constituted by the Central Government in 2018 to handle disputes between Odisha and Chhattisgarh over the Mahanadi River.