Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Assembly today unanimously urged the Centre to immediately announce Terms of Reference (ToR) for the Mahanadi River Disputes Tribunal to make it functional.

After a marathon day-long debate on the issue of reduced inflow in river Mahanadi due to illegal construction of barrages by Chhattisgarh upstream of the river, the House in view of the consensus opinion and concern unanimously resolved to urge the Central government to issue ToR as per provisions in the Inter State River Water Dispute Act 1956 for making the tribunal functional.

Government Chief Whip Amar Satpathy urged the Speaker to convey the concern of the House to the Centre after reading out the consensus of the House on the issue.

“The Central government and the Chhattisgarh government have betrayed and are taking such steps that would even render the Supreme Court’s orders infructuous. They are deliberately delaying on every account,” said Leader of the Opposition and senior Congress leader Narasingha Mishra speaking to reporters outside the House.

Earlier in the debate, members cutting across party lines had expressed their concern over the reduction in the flow of water to Mahanadi and said it would not only affect irrigation but also power generation and livelihood of people residing in 15 districts.