PANAJI
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah wants to arrive at a negotiated settlement on sharing Mhadei River water between the three States - Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka - prior to the final hearing of the Mhadei Water Dispute Tribunal (MWDT) scheduled in February 2018.
He has written to Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar asking to fix a meeting at the earliest to begin talks on the same. He has, however, clarified that Karnataka has claimed 14.98 TMC of water.
"We, the chief ministers of three states of Mhadei basin - Karnataka, Maharashtra and Goa, meet on any convenient date and time, at the earliest and at a venue of your choice, so as to try and arrive at a negotiated settlement. I am also sending this proposal to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for his concurrence. The matter is urgent because the Tribunal has fixed the final hearing from February 6, 2018 to February 22, 2018 vide its order dated November 30", stated his letter to Parrikar.
"My Chief Secretary K Ratna Prabha will get in touch with your Chief Secretary and the Chief Secretary of Maharashtra to work out the agenda and details of the meeting", he stated.
His letter comes in a day after Parrikar wrote to Karnataka BJP President B S Yeddyurappa stating that Goa, in-principle, would not oppose the reasonable and justified quantum of water to be utilised for drinking. Parrikar had also stated that, on humanitarian grounds, Goa Government is willing to consider Karnataka's request to work out an amicable settlement strictly restricted to drinking water only to the drought-prone areas.
"I may clarify that Karnataka has claimed 14.98 TMC out of the dependable flow of 199 TMC at 75 per cent dependability (as estimated by the CWC in 2003) which includes drinking water needs in Hubbali-Dharwad etc of 7.56 TMC (cleared by the central government in 2003) and 7 TMC out of the surplus flow for drought-prone areas etc. in the Malaprabha basin", stated the letter. He, however, lamented that a similar letter was sent to Parrikar for scheduling a meeting in June 2017, but there was no response. Siddaramaiah, however, pointed out that he has also perused the letter sent by Parrikar to Yeddyurappa, which he stated is being widely circulated on social media.
"I only wish you had replied to my letter, since I took the initiative for the negotiated settlement, not only on my own but also on the suggestion made by the judges of the Tribunal on September 1, 2016", the letter stated.
