PANAJI
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday asserted that Goa will continue its legal battle over the Mhadei river dispute and has no plans to withdraw its case from the Supreme Court, despite recent remarks by Union Minister Pralhad Joshi on Karnataka withdrawing its petitions.
Speaking to media persons, Sawant said Goa's legal team, led by the Advocate General, is vigorously pursuing the matter and expressed confidence that the State would ultimately succeed in protecting its interests.
"We have our legal panel and Advocate General fighting this case. We will fight it till the end. It is a definite win for Goa in the Mhadei case," Sawant said.
His statement comes in the wake of Joshi's claim that he had advised the Karnataka government to withdraw its pending Supreme Court petitions relating to the Mhadei dispute. According to Joshi, such a move could remove legal and administrative hurdles and help expedite approvals for Karnataka's proposed Kalasa-Bhandura water diversion project. He also said the Karnataka government had responded positively to the suggestion.
However, Sawant refused to be drawn into comments made in Karnataka, maintaining that the dispute remains a matter before the courts.
"The Supreme Court case and the Mhadei Water Disputes Tribunal proceedings are legal issues. I have no comments on statements made in Karnataka. Goa is aggressively fighting the case and will continue to do so till the end," he said.
Earlier, Water Resources Minister Subhash Shirodkar had clarified that even if Karnataka withdraws its petitions, it would not affect the ongoing litigation, as Goa and Maharashtra's petitions remain pending before the Supreme Court, ensuring that the dispute continues to remain sub judice.
