By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, April 22, 2018: Odisha Chief Minister and the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president Naveen Patnaik on Sunday slammed the BJP government at Centre and neighbouring Chhattisgarh for “blocking” Mahanadi river water flow to the state.

Addressing the party workers and elected representatives from 15 districts at the BJD symposium on Mahanadi water dispute at party office here, Mr Patnaik said, “Even if Chhattisgarh government claims that the Mahanadi water is released to the lower catchment area, you all see Mahanadi has been dried up. This is the duty of our party to go to the people and make them realise that the BJP government at Centre and Chhattisgarh has blocked Mahanadi water depriving Odisha to suffer.”

On the efforts of the ruling BJD to secure perennial flow of Mahanadi water, he said his government had tried for the constitution of tribunal as per the Inter-State River Dispute Act.

“When the Centre did not give its nod, we moved the Supreme Court seeking tribunal to resolve the water dispute between Chhattisgarh and Odisha. Now with the directive of the apex court, the tribunal has started working to solve the matter. The tribunal was formed by the efforts of Odisha government only,” the CM said.

He said that the state government had launched a programme called ‘Green Mahanadi Mission’ under which lakhs of trees will be planted on both sides of Mahanadi River to save it.