Bhubaneswar, Feb 7: The hearing in the long-standing Mahanadi water dispute has been rescheduled to March 14, with the Mahanadi Water Dispute Tribunal (MWDT) set to take up key issues related to water sharing between Odisha and Chhattisgarh.
According to reports, the tribunal will first undertake a spot visit to the Mahanadi basin areas between the last week of February and the first week of March. The field inspection is aimed at assessing ground realities, project sites, and water flow conditions before formal deliberations begin. Following this visit, the tribunal will convene for the scheduled hearing on March 14.
Notably, the tenure of the MWDT is due to end on April 13, raising concerns about the completion of proceedings. Both Odisha and Chhattisgarh have jointly urged the Centre to extend the tribunal’s tenure till March 27, 2027, to enable a comprehensive examination of the dispute and submission of its final award.
Advocate General Pitanambar Acharya stated that tribunal proceedings had remained non-functional for nearly nine months due to the vacancy in the chairperson’s post, leading to considerable delays.
The upcoming hearing is expected to be significant, as it may shape the course of negotiations and legal determinations in the protracted inter-state river water dispute.
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