The hostile attitude of the Karnataka police towards Goa's technical team by keeping them away as the Joint Inspection Committee proceeded to the alleged water diversion site of the Kalsa rivulet near Kankumbi village is an outrageous attempt to jeopardize the process and conceal wrongdoing.
The Karnataka police showed arrogance, hurled abuses and denied entry to two technical staff of the Water Resources Department and the two junior engineers from Goa's side. They were barred from the site, were victimized and made to wait after confiscating their identity cards. The treatment meted to them was disrespectful and reflected Karnataka's intent as a large contingent from their side, including managing director of Karnataka Neeravari Nigam Ltd and Chief Engineer of Karnataka's WRD, moved in and out of the joint monitoring team meeting. The process has been sabotaged with Karnataka leaving no stone unturned to influence the report. There were unscheduled presentations that were made and even a superintending engineer was posted to coordinate the visit.
If Karnataka is roping in all its resources, so could Goa and even Maharashtra. With the way events have unfolded on March 19, there is every reason to believe that Karnataka's prime motive was to cover up a wrong. There could be possibly no reasons for such roadblocks and high-handedness if there was nothing to conceal. If water is not being diverted, Karnataka should be more than pleased to throw open the inspection and prove a point which they are consistently trying to make in the apex court.
The JIC was constituted at the behest of Supreme Court orders and by all means, should have been a fair and transparent exercise without any hurdles. The top court has directed a 3-member team of the three States in dispute to do a site inspection. Goa has been at the receiving end right through the Mhadei dispute because the political pulls and pressures are going against the State despite the BJP-led governments at the State and Centre. Goa may have conceded the advantage to Karnataka politically, given the cordial relations the State has with the Centre, but there is hope with the issue now resting in the hallowed precinct of the Supreme Court. We cannot afford to squander this moment by allowing Karnataka to bulldoze its way.
The Goa representative MK Prasad must communicate to the chief minister on the manner in which the inspection has been carried, and the report of the inspections. The questions before us today are: Was there a note of dissent or is Karnataka's claim acceptable? Is Prasad convinced and satisfied with the joint inspection? Is there credence to Goa's claim that water has been diverted, or has Karnataka manipulated factsheets to support its defence in the apex court?
Sawant has maintained a steady silence on this issue which has reached a very critical stage in court. Conceding meekly to such brazen transgression of a court-directed exercise could have disastrous consequences for Goa with the decade-and-a-half-old water dispute heading towards closure. The CM needs to assure Goans that the State's interests are adequately protected. The time is now.
