Centre not party to Mahanadi dispute adjudication as state did not name it

The Union government cannot intervene in the Odisha-Chhattisgarh Mahanadi water dispute, clarified the Jal Shakti minister. Odisha’s request to constitute a tribunal omitted the Centre as a party, as per the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act. Despite Odisha’s 2016 complaint and subsequent Supreme Court intervention, procedural rules prevent central involvement.