Chhattisgarh CM Confident of Resolving Mahanadi Water-Sharing Dispute with Odisha Soon

BHUBANESWAR: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Sunday said the Mahanadi water-sharing dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh was no longer a major issue and expressed confidence that it would be resolved soon. Sai, who arrived in Odisha on a two-day private visit with his family, said discussions on the issue had already been held in Delhi and that both states had agreed to accept whatever decision the Central Water Commission (CWC) took in the interest of Odisha and Chhattisgarh. “There is no longer any major dispute over Mahanadi water between Odisha and Chhattisgarh. Both states have BJP governments and there is a BJP-led NDA government at the Centre. The issue is expected to be resolved soon,” Sai told reporters after arriving at Biju Patnaik International Airport here. He said the two states had held discussions on the issue in Delhi and agreed that any decision taken by the CWC in the interest of both states would be acceptable to them. The two chief ministers have held several rounds of discussions on the water dispute over the past two years. Sai later met Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi at the latter’s official residence. Majhi said the two leaders had a “fruitful interaction” on bolstering cooperation between Odisha and Chhattisgarh.