The Ministry for Environment, Forest and Climate Change decided to keep in abeyance the letter of consent issued to Karnataka for their Kalasa-Bandhura project. It has attributed the decision to the pending petitions in the Supreme Court challenging the Mhadei Water Tribunal’s award. But Goa has always been demanding the withdrawal of the letter, not keeping it in cold storage. There have been a series of assurances and indications from political leaders that Goa will get a favourable response on the issue. Holding the letter in abeyance can’t be seen as a favourable decision to Goa, definitely not. It only means that the Centre has bought time once again and strategically chosen the middle path.
The question now would be how long Javadekar will continue to do this delicate balancing act. On one side, Goa has piled on the pressure to withdraw the controversial letter to Karnataka. Leaders across party lines have resolved to stand firm on this issue even as protests by Mhadei Bachao Abhiyan and other political parties, including Congress, have reached Delhi. Interestingly, even Goa governor Satya Pal Malik in a recent meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi broached the issue and extracted a verbal assurance of a resolution. The governor also impressed upon the PM apprising him of Mhadei being the lifeline of Goa.
Mhadei will continue to dominate Goa’s political discourse till a satisfactory resolution is achieved and the onus will be on the chief minister to convince the Delhi leadership on the ground situation. Sawant’s assurance of legal recourse if the letter is not withdrawn was the only way to insulate himself against the wrath and fury of the opponents. Sawant is not in a position to legally challenge this because of political reasons and the best option for him would be to convince the Delhi leadership. Secondly, moving the NGT may not necessarily bring the much-needed relief to Goa. The Goa Forward petition before the green tribunal earlier had fallen flat and only exposed how hollow the arguments are.
On the other side, the Mhadei issue is a dilemma for Minister for Environment Prakash Javadekar and choosing between the interests of Goa water requirements and what is projected as Karnataka’s drinking water project would be a tough call. The environment minister may sympathize with Goa. Still, he is not in a position to ignore the fact that his party has a massive stake in Karnataka, and any decision against this project could have political implications there.
If Goa has to get its way, much will depend on the political class, environmentalists and other stakeholders. Keeping up the momentum over the issue is paramount. The protests and silent marches send out a grim reminder to the powers that be that the fight for Mhadei is on. The people of the State are disillusioned over assurances by political leaders, including the chief minister, Union environment minister and even the
prime minister. Promises on Mhadei have not been convincing so far and have not materialized because it hinges on political interests.
