Mahadayi water tribunal also gets year's extension

NEW DELHI: After giving back-to-back extension to two water disputes tribunals, Centre has extended the tenure of a third one, the Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal , as well for a period of one year with effect from Aug 16.

Constituted in Nov 2010 for adjudicating the dispute over river water sharing among Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka, the tribunal has had the third longest tenure among the four active water disputes tribunals in the country, which continue to get extensions year after year, as they have not been able to resolve the long-pending disputes.

The last extension to the Mahadayi tribunal was granted in Feb for a period of six months but, ahead of expiry of its term, it requested Centre to extend the timeline for submission of its further report by one year.

Accordingly, a gazette notification to this effect was issued last week, extending its tenure under Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956.

The tribunal had submitted its earlier report and decision in Aug 2018, but all the three states made objections, seeking revised reports which would address their respective concerns.

The tribunal with the longest tenure is the Ravi and Beas Tribunal constituted 39 years ago, followed by the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal which was constituted 21 years ago in April 2004. Both these tribunals were given an extension last month.

The Mahanadi tribunal is the fourth active water disputes tribunal, constituted in March 2018 for adjudicating disputes between Odisha and Chhattisgarh. As both the states have BJP govts, they may go for an amicable solution to resolve their long-pending issues. Last month, Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi wrote to his Chhattisgarh counterpart Vishnu Deo Sai for a mutually beneficial settlement.

He has proposed that a joint committee, comprising officials of both the states and the Central Water Commission , arrive at an equitable and timely solution to the dispute.