Bhubaneswar: Following a meeting in New Delhi between the Chief Ministers of Odisha and Chhattisgarh on the Mahanadi water-sharing dispute, the Opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has demanded the outcome of the discussions be made public.

The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, with Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai in attendance. The Centre has been facilitating discussions between the two states towards an amicable settlement of the long-pending dispute.

Addressing a press conference at Sankha Bhawan, the BJD’s state headquarters in Bhubaneswar, party MLA and former Minister Arun Kumar Sahoo said the meeting should not be an “eyewash”, particularly with panchayat and municipal elections approaching in Odisha.

Sahoo said the issue of ensuring adequate water availability in Odisha during the non-monsoon period should be discussed and the details made public. He also sought clarity on the status of barrages constructed upstream of the Mahanadi in Chhattisgarh and the quantum of water being supplied by the Chhattisgarh government to industries from the river.

The Mahanadi water-sharing dispute has remained before the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal since 2018. The Central Water Commission has also been involved in technical consultations between the two states.

Triple-engine govt yet to find solution: Sahoo

Sahoo said the possibility of resolving the dispute had increased with the BJP governments in Odisha and Chhattisgarh and the NDA government at the Centre. However, he alleged there had been no urgency from the governments at the Centre and in the two states to resolve the issue.

He further alleged floods in the Mahanadi and its tributaries in Odisha occurred this year after the Chhattisgarh government opened the gates of barrages, anicuts and sand bunds without informing the Odisha government.

Following the Delhi meeting, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said the Central Water Commission would work towards finding a solution to the Mahanadi water-sharing dispute.

The Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal is scheduled to take up the matter again on October 15.