PANAJI
The Union Ministry of Jal Shakti has made another attempt to fill key vacant posts in the Mhadei PRAWAH (Progressive River Authority for Welfare and Harmony), which was set up to deal with the long-running dispute over Mhadei river water diversion between Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra. This is the fourth attempt by the Ministry since March 2024 to recruit experts for the authority.
The body was first notified in May 2023 with three members. It was later reconstituted in March 2024 under the chairmanship of Navin Kumar, a member of the Central Water Commission (CWC). Its first interim chairman, PM Scott, retired within a year after presiding over two meetings.
The Ministry first invited applications in March 2024 to fill four posts. However, after receiving no response, it issued fresh notifications in June and December that year. It has now released a new advertisement to fill four member posts — experts in environmental issues, hydrology, and monitoring and regulation — along with a Director to handle financial matters.
At present, Virendra Sharma, Chief Engineer of the CWC in Bengaluru, is holding additional charge as Member (Monitoring and Regulation).
According to the notification, the environmental expert must have a degree in engineering or environmental engineering. The hydrology expert should be a serving Central or State government officer in the relevant field, while the member for monitoring and regulation must have a background in civil or mechanical engineering.
