By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, December 13, 2017: In a rare show of solidarity, legislators in Odisha on Wednesday adopted a unanimous resolution to pressurize Centre for constituting a Tribunal to resolve the State’s dispute over sharing of river Mahanadi water with Chhattisgarh.

The Centre was in the firing line during the debate on the motion moved by the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD). Incidentally, both BJD and Congress members flayed the Centre for having violated the provisions of the Inter-State River Disputes Act by expressing its unwillingness to constitute a Tribunal over the Mahanadi dispute despite promising for the same in the Parliament and Supreme Court.

However, BJP legislator once again reiterated in the House that the Centre in its submission before the Supreme Court hasn’t outright declined for the constitution of a Tribunal to resolve Mahanadi dispute.

Government Chief Whip Amar Satapathy made it clear that the deadline 19 November 2017 for constituting the Tribunal is over. “So it is a violation of the law and as well as of the Constitution. The Centre should constitute the Tribunal. This was what we debated in the House,” he added while speaking to reporters outside the House.

The BJP said, both BJD and the Congress are not fighting for protecting Mahanadi water rather were indulging in politics.

“Biju Janata Dal, Odisha government and Congress-none of them are fighting to protect Mahanadi water. They are busy doing politics over the Mahanadi issue. The matter is in the Supreme Court, any debate here in the Assembly won’t provide a solution to the issue,” said Pradip Purohit, BJP leader and MLA from Padmapur.