NT Reporter
Panaji
Margao BJP MLA Digambar Kamat, on Thursday, cautioned the Goa government against Karnataka’s “diplomacy and conspiracy” in the Mhadei water dispute, calling for vigilance considering Goa’s smaller parliamentary presence.
“I have guarantee that the Goa government will not compromise on the issue of Mhadei at any cost. The WRD Minister along with the Chief Minister will see to it that Mhadei is saved for the state of Goa. It is our lifeline,” said Kamat.
He said Karnataka was engaging in strategic diplomacy due to its higher number of MPs, “some of whom are intelligent,” and urged Goa to remain alert.
Aldona Congress MLA Carlos Ferreira questioned the effectiveness of Goa’s legal strategy.
“As far as the Mhadei river is concerned, we have seen that the success rate has been on the payment of lawyers, which has been to the tune of crores of rupees. But we have had no positive results. We were told that the contempt proceedings are going on. What is the status of the contempt proceedings? Karnataka is still making changes to divert the water,” said Ferreira.
Opposition Leader Yuri Alemao questioned the role of the WRD in protecting the river. “Karnataka is more confident than Goa. They have created diversion infrastructure, while we are only talking about contempt petitions,” Alemao said.
He said the House committee is not functioning, and noted that communication from Goa was not entertained by the Mhadei authority,
PRAWAH.
Alemao said PRAWAH has not been effective, having sent only four letters in 2023–24, and none this year.
He pointed to Karnataka’s ongoing efforts, including representations to the Prime Minister and the Union Environment Minister seeking clearance for the Kalsa-Bhandura project.
“There was even a protest in Belagavi in support of the diversion, while our government remains inactive,”
he said.
Fatorda GFP MLA Vijai Sardesai raised concerns about leadership in the river water dispute cell.
He said engineer Dilip Naik, with three decades of experience on the Mhadei issue, was replaced with someone lacking similar expertise. “It’s been 18 months, and this officer has not studied the matter,” Sardessai
said, calling for Naik’s reinstatement.
He also questioned the use of PRAWAH funds, saying that Rs 4.43 crore was spent on office infrastructure and Rs 1.17 crore on furniture, while protection activities remained minimal.
“Is this what Mhadei protection means?” he asked.
Curtorim Independent MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco said Karnataka could move swiftly if the
Supreme Court grants clearance.
“They are prepared and can start work within 15 days,” he said, urging immediate steps to notify forest reserves and send an all-party delegation to the Centre.
The St Andre RGP MLA Viresh Borkar said the state had spent Rs 15.83 crore on legal expenses since 2012 but had not succeeded in securing a crucial hearing.
He also raised concerns about reports by the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), which he said may favour Karnataka’s position.
