Bhubaneswar: Odisha is exploring how it will approach the Supreme Court about the "betrayal" of the Centre in constitution of a tribunal to adjudicate the dispute over the sharing of Mahanadi's water between the two neighbouring states.

State water resources secretary P.K. Jena said: "The Centre has failed to keep its commitment given to the Supreme Court to constitute the tribunal by November 19. We will raise the matter before the apex court during the next hearing scheduled in the first week of December."

Odisha government had moved the apex court in December last year protesting against Chhattisgarh's construction of barrages in the upstream of Mahanadi "unilaterally". It had demanded constitution of a tribunal under Interstate Water Disputes Act, 1956, to adjudicate on the dispute. Later, the Centre had agreed to the demand and had committed the apex court that the constitution of the tribunal would be notified by November 19. However, no notification has come up till date.

On Friday, chief minister Naveen Patnaik wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his personal intervention in forming the river dispute tribunal.

"I would like to emphasise that the timeline of one year for constitution of the tribunal is getting over on November 18. However, the Union government has not yet constituted the tribunal despite my request over last one year," Naveen had written.

He had also written a letter to the Modi on November 7, saying that the delay in formation of the tribunal was favo-uring Chhattisgarh at the cost of Odisha.

The BJD on Monday announced that it would intensify its agitation over Mahanadi issue. "The Centre has betrayed the Supreme Court and Parliament," said BJD vice-president and Rajya Sabha member Prasanna Acharya. Congress leader Suresh Routray also pledged his par-ty's resolve to fight for Odis-ha's cause.

CPM leader Janardan Pati suggested to launch of an economic blockade against the Centre on the issue.