Row over Mahanadi: Would decide on notification, Centre to SC

NEW DELHI: The Centre has told the Supreme Court that it will take a decision next month on issuing a notification with regard to the ongoing dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh over Mahanadi river.

The Odisha government had moved the apex court in December last year seeking an order asking Chhattisgarh to stop its construction work in projects on the upstream of Mahanadi.

A bench of Justices S A Bobde and L N Rao considered the statement made by the counsel of the Centre and posted the matter for hearing in the second week of December.

The Ministry of Water Resources said it will decide on November 19 whether the notification will be issued by it.

"On instructions received from Virendra Sharma, Joint Commissioner, Ministry of Water Resources, Government of India...a decision will be taken for issuing the notification by November 19, 2017. List the matter in the second week of December, 2017," the bench said.

Odisha has been opposing Chhattisgarh's plans to build 13 barrages and seven pick up weirs (small dams) across the Mahanadi, in a plan to extract more water. Odisha has said this would adversely affect the interests of its farmers.