FROM SIDDARAMAIAH ...
Brief text of Karnataka CM's letter to his counterparts in Goa and maharashtra
* In view of this, on behalf of the riparian state of Karnataka, it would be my pleasure to host the first round of talks
* I sincerely hope you would, in the true spirit of co-operation and collaboration, agree to your state participating in the talks
* Request you to instruct your state chief secretary to interact with my state chief secretary in finalizing the date of meeting in this month of September 2016
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In a major development that could be termed as a vital step towards an “Out of Court” settlement over the long-pending Kalsa-Bhandura water diversion issue, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has extended invitations to his Goa and Maharashtra counterparts.
Based on the Mhadei Water Dispute Tribunal’s latest implication to the riparian states to resolve the inter-state dispute amicably, Siddaramiah is seeking a mutually negotiable settlement. He has also taken into consideration the long-pending demand by farmer organisations and political parties in Karnataka towards an ‘Out of Court’ settlement over the issue.
Citing the Tribunal's suggestion, Siddaramaiah in his letter to his Goa and Maharashtra counterparts offered to host the first round of talks.
Siddaramaiah has requested Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadanvis to instruct the Chief Secretaries of the respective states to interact with Chief Secretary of Karnataka to fix a date for the talks in September.
It may be recalled that the Tribunal in July rejected Karnataka's interim plea urging to divert 7.56 TMC of water from the Kalsa-Bhandura rivulets, the main tributaries of Mhadei into Malaprabha reservoir.
Sensing the need for the riparian states to resolve the controversial issue in the spirit of brotherhood, the Tribunal headed by justice JM Panchal said that “in the spirit of brotherhood in a federal system, an amicable solution could be worked out.”
Political parties and farmers organisations in the region have welcomed the initiative by the Karnataka chief minister and have extended their full-fledged support aimed at resolving the issue.
President of the Kalsa-Bhandura Horata Samiti Vijay Kulkarni has welcomed the decision which he said would have been initiated earlier.
“We welcome the decision by Chief Minister Siddaramiah and urge Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar to respond immediately so that an amicable solution is arrived at the earliest,” Kulkarni told The Goan.
Though Goa had earlier rejected such a plea by Karnataka, expecting that Goa would respect the Tribunal's directives, political leaders of various political parties too have extended their support in this direction.
