The Union cabinet on Wednesday approved a legislative change to accelerate efforts to resolve the country’s longstanding, multiple inter-state river water disputes.

A cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the Inter-State River Water Disputes (Amendment) Bill 2019, aimed at establishing a single tribunal with different benches and “strict timelines” for resolving disputes.

This is expected to result in quick resolution of the disputes, the government said in a media release.

“Some of these disputes have been going on for decades. Tribunals take time without result. Some tribunals continued for 27 years,” Union environment minister and cabinet member Prakash Javadekar told reporters

Javadekar said the proposed amendment seeks to dissolve the nine existing tribunals and establish a single tribunal with multiple benches.

He said the government expected the new mechanism to resolve the existing disputes “within two years”.

Tribunals are currently examining disputes among Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan over the waters of the Ravi and the Beas; among Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra over the Krishna’s waters; between Odisha and Chhattisgarh over the Mahanadi’s waters; and among Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra over the Mahadayi’s waters, among others.

Parliament had enacted the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act 1956 to facilitate the adjudication of disputes between states over their shares of river waters.