A delegation of the Goa government led by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday as pressure mounted in the State over the contentious Mhadei water diversion issue. What remains to be seen is whether the team can impress upon the central minister the impact of water diversion on Goa or whether the visit will go down as a symbolic effort to keep up with the government's promise of "will not leave any stone unturned".
Against the pressing demand of activists and Opposition leaders to demand the withdrawal of the detailed project report (DPR), the Goa government is aware that it has minimal options at hand. On the other hand, Karnataka is steadily inching closer with Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai exuding confidence in providing solutions to the queries raised by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), including the compensatory afforestation for the 32 ha of forest cover that is going to be lost due to the diversion project.
Karnataka is not going to concede the advantage and will try every possible avenue in seeking forest clearances. In fact, on Tuesday, a Karnataka team was apprising the environment ministry officials about the steps the State has taken to avoid the destruction of forest cover. With a significant hurdle cleared for Karnataka, it would be just a matter of time before it goes ahead with the project.
On the flip side, Goa does not have the strength, strategically and politically, to drastically change the Mhadei script from here. The government is going through the motions to salvage itself from a tight situation, having been sandwiched between the interest of the State and the decisions of the Centre.
With Karnataka on the threshold of getting the requisite forest clearances, Goa's options have narrowed down to literally zero. Hopes raised on account of the matter being in the Supreme Court are without any substance and against the background that the apex court has rarely put a tribunal award under scrutiny, going by past cases. Also, the stop-work notice issued by the chief wildlife warden of Goa to the Karnataka government over the project's construction work is unlikely to evoke any response. The only realistic consolation could be the State pushing for the formation of a Water Management Authority to monitor water distribution.
The Sawant-led government is in a dilemma and is fully aware of fighting a lost cause and the limited scope of its bargain with the Centre. The chances of CM brokering a truce are unlikely, and the only avenue to look out for would be expediting a monitoring mechanism.
While there are no high expectations in the Delhi meeting, there is undoubtedly a level of scepticism since the government chose an in-house team without involving the opposition leaders or environmental experts. This does not augur well for an issue that is critical to the State and its citizens. Also, the argument that the Opposition boycotted an earlier meeting called to discuss the issue does not hold in this case.
It's time to be practical and face the situation from a more realistic standpoint. The government must find the courage to discuss Goa's limited options, even if it means expressing displeasure at the Centre's decisions. Giving unrealistic hopes about Mhadei water will backfire.
