the goan I network
PANAJI
Exactly two months after it issued the controversial letter to Karnataka virtually giving it the nod to go ahead with a project at Kalasa-Bandhura to divert waters of Mhadei purportedly for drinking purpose, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change on Wednesday held it in abeyance. Taking cognizance of strong protests from Goa, MoEF&CC official Mohit Saxena, said in his Wednesday’s letter addressed to the Chief Engineer of Karnataka Netravati Nigam Limited, that decision was taken in view of the pending petitions in the Supreme Court which have challenged the Mhadei Water Tribunal’s award.
Saxena, who is a Scientist in the Impact Assessment Division of the MoEF&CC, also cited pending petitions related to the project by the Goa and Karnataka governments before the Ministry, as a reason for the decision. “The Award has also been challenged by the states of Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra before the Supreme Court. In the SLP filed by the state of Goa, the Supreme Court has issued notice to the state of Karnataka,” Saxena said.
The Goa government had filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) against Karnataka before the Supreme Court and notices were issued by the Apex Court to all the parties, including Karnataka. Saxena also quoted the SLP to explain the reasons for holding the October 17 letter in abeyance.
“Based on facts made available subsequently to this Ministry it is observed that applications for clarification of the Award of the Mhadei Water Dispute Tribunal dated August 14, filed by the Governments of Goa and Karnataka are till pending,” Saxena said in the letter.
The controversial October 17 letter of the MoEF&CC to Karnakata had evoked strong reaction from the Goa government and triggered a series of protests in the State. Opposition parties, including the Congress, Goa Forward Party, Aam Aadmi Party and Goa Suraksha Manch had taken to the streets and put the Pramod Sawant-led government in a spot of bother.
Opposition Leader Digambar Kamat meanwhile cautioned that merely holding the controversial MoEF&CC letter “in abeyance” was not good enough and advised Sawant that the State demand its wholesome withdrawal.
Kamat said, it is now clear that the whole controversy erupted because the Bharatiya Janata Party used the letter to derive political mileage
in Karnataka where crucial make-or-break bypolls to 15 assembly seats were held recently.
“The information given to Goa Chief Minister by Union Minister for Environment and Forests Prakash Javadekar stating that the letter issued to Karnataka is kept in abeyance needs to be examined cautiously. This can be another act to mislead the people of Goa,” Kamat said while speaking to journalists in Panaji.
Kamat said the MoEF&CC should also declare what happened to the committee it promised to form to probe how the letter was illegally issued to Karnataka. The Mhadei originates in Karnataka but runs over 65 per-cent of its course in North Goa before it flows into the Arabian Sea at Miramar.
The Mhadei water sharing dispute between Goa and Karnataka dates back several decades and led to the Centre constituting a Water Dispute Redressal Tribunal. In 2018, the Tribunal finalised its award by which it allotted some 15 TMC to Karnataka, including some 3-odd TMC for diversion to its parched Malaprabha basin.
The Mhadei water sharing dispute between Goa and Karnataka dates back several decades and led to the Centre constituting a Water Dispute Redressal Tribunal. In 2018, the Tribunal finalised its award by which it allotted some 15 TMC to Karnataka, including some 3-odd TMC for diversion to its parched Malaprabha basin.
