Special Correspondent Panaji
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday informed the legislative assembly that the state government will file a contempt petition in the Supreme Court against Karnataka for carrying out activities that are aimed at diverting the Mhadei River water.
The assembly witnessed a heated interaction between the treasury and the opposition benches during the Question Hour over Mhadei with the combined opposition accusing the government of inaction and demanding weekly status reports on the issue. The opposition legislators rushed into the Well of the House over failure of the government to take effective steps against the diversion.
Admitting that Karnataka has been illegally diverting water for years, Sawant, however, said Goa cannot act within the jurisdiction of the neighbouring state and added that Goa must seek legal remedies.
Sawant informed the House that he, during his recent visit to Delhi, has received assurance from the Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change that the central ministry will not issue any permission to Karnataka for diversion of Mhadei waters.
The Chief Minister told the assembly that he has brought illegal activities related to Mhadei diversion to the notice of the Centre and urged the Union minister concerned not to grant forest or other clearances to Karnataka for the related projects.
Citing media reports, the opposition said the neighbouring state has marked the space on the Bhandura side of its Kalsa-Bhandura project for laying pipeline to divert Mhadei waters. The opposition slammed the government for not informing the Supreme Court promptly or invoking relevant provisions of the Interstate Water Disputes Act.
The opposition also highlighted that a whopping Rs 16 crore has been spent by the government on legal teams and consultations.
Independent MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco, who raised the issue during the Question Hour, expressed concerns about the ineffectiveness of PRAWAH and the stalled tiger reserve proposal.
Minister for Water Resources Subhash Shirodkar acknowledged Karnataka’s illegal works like underground conduits and said that Goa had filed 10 interlocutory applications and also contempt petitions keeping the apex court informed about Karnataka’s illegal activities.
Leader of the opposition Yuri Alemao said that a water war will start between North and South Goa if the Mhadei dries up, adding that the Centre has failed to withdraw the Detailed Project Report of the Karnataka government.
Goa Forward party president Vijai Sardesai called the House committee on Mhadei diversion a farce, further threatening to resign from the panel if inaction on the part of government continues.
