By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, November 8, 2017: Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday dashed off a letter to prime minster Narendra Modi urging him to expedite the formation of a tribunal to resolve the ongoing Mahanadi river water dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh.

“The delay in constituting the tribunal has been proving to be an advantage for neighbouring Chhattisgarh which is continuing construction of six barrages on Mahanadi River, which will affect interests of Odisha people during non-monsoon period,” the letter said.

The Supreme Court on October 9 this year passed an order making it clear that a notification on tribunal formation should be issued by November 19, 2017, Patnaik mentioned in the letter.

Patnaik also stated that the Odisha government had filed a statutory complaint before the Centre on November 19, 2016 under the Inter State River Water Disputes (ISRWD) Act, 1956 to constitute a water dispute tribunal.