PANAJI
A day after the Union Cabinet approved the setting up of the Mhadei tribunal mandated Water Management Authority -- Progressive River Authority for Welfare and Harmony (PRAWAH) -- the Opposition in Goa termed it a development which does not warrant much celebration and questioned the Goa government’s silence on the demand for withdrawal of approval to Karnataka’s DPRs for the Kalasa-Bhandura water diversion projects.
“Why complete silence on the withdrawal of approval given to the DPR of the Kalasa Bandura Project? These are Diversionary tactics to Divert attention from Diversion of Mhadei,” Opposition Leader, Yuri Alemao, said.
Alemao said, every decision of the BJP government must be taken with a ‘Pinch of Salt’.
Recalling the unanimous resolution passed by the Goa legislative assembly on January 19, Alemao said, the State government must make it clear what steps have been taken to ensure the headquarters of this authority in Goa.
He said, the Goa legislature’s resolution objects to out of basin diversion of Mhadei’s waters and also demands withdrawal of the Centre’s nod to Karnataka’s DPRs besides the demand for the Authority’s headquarters in Goa.
“Chief Minister Promod Sawant needs to explain what the Central Government’s response to this resolution is,” Alemao said.
Goa Forward Party’s (GFP) Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai meanwhile called the decision to constitute the Mhadei Water Authority (PRAWAH) a tactic to distract Goa from the demand to revoke the DPRs.
“The real purpose of constituting PRAWAH (Mhadei Water Authority) is to distract us from our demand to revoke the DPR and to expedite Karnataka’s Mhadei projects,” Sardesai said.
In a taunt at Sawant, the GFP leader said the chief minister has a talent to celebrate his failures as victories.
“Chief Minister Pramod Sawant is complicit in both. No Mhadei Water Authority will distract us from our non-negotiable demand,” Sardesai said, adding that anything other than withdrawal of the DPRs is meant to buy time and delay justice to Goa.
