New Delhi/Bhubaneswar: Once again the Central Government has extended the deadline for submission of the report by the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal.

According to a gazette notification issued by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, the tribunal has been granted an additional nine months from April 14, 2026, to submit its report and decision. With this extension, the new deadline is January 13, 2027.

The tribunal was constituted on March 12, 2018, to adjudicate the water-sharing dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh over the Mahanadi river.

Notably, this is not the first extension, as the tribunal’s tenure has been prolonged multiple times in the past.

Odisha Advocate General Pitambara Acharya said the next hearing is scheduled for April 20. He added the tribunal has directed inclusion of a field survey report during the proceedings.

Technical teams from both states have already held 13 meetings, with consensus reached on several issues during discussions at the Chief Secretary and Secretaries level.

Acharya further stated the tribunal has expressed satisfaction with the progress made so far. He also informed, with the Centre’s mediation, Chief Ministers of both states are expected to hold discussions soon.

Reacting to the development, senior Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader Debi Prasad Mishra urged the Centre to intervene and resolve the dispute at the earliest, noting the BJP is in power in both states.

Mishra emphasised Odisha’s priority should be ensuring adequate water flow in the Mahanadi during non-monsoon periods. “If the Centre shows urgency, the dispute can be resolved quickly,” he said.

Meanwhile, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) chief Bhakta Charan Das criticised the repeated extensions, stating the issue cannot be resolved merely by prolonging the tribunal’s tenure.

He demanded the matter be settled within a month and called on BJP MPs from Odisha to raise the issue with the Prime Minister and Chief Minister. “Why are Odisha BJP MPs silent when the state is not getting adequate water, even as their party speaks of ‘Asmita’?” he questioned.

Das also cited the Bansadhara river dispute, claiming Odisha had not received justice in that case.