Shah to chair meeting to resolve Mahanadi water-sharing dispute

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will preside over a meeting on October 1 to discuss the resolution of the Mahanadi river water-sharing dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh, with the Chief Ministers of both States expected to present their positions.

Mr. Shah’s meeting is expected to build confidence and trust between the two States so that a final resolution can be achieved and accepted, Odisha’s Advocate General Pitamabar Acharya said on Monday. “Apart from the Chief Ministers, Chief Secretaries and Chief Engineers of Water Resources Department of both States will be present at the meeting,” Mr. Acharya added.

On July 30, Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil had chaired a high-level meeting to resolve the issue. For a decade, both States have been asserting their rights over Mahanadi.