the goan I network
PANAJI
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday clutched on to a proverbial fig leaf in the Supreme Court of India’s interim verdict in the controversial dispute over Mhadei river water with Karnataka with the Apex Court agreeing to hear Goa’s challenge of the Mhadei Water Dispute Tribunal’s award of August 2018 later in July this year.
Nonetheless, Thursday’s interim verdict of the Supreme Court gave enough fodder to the Opposition which seized the opportunity and slammed Sawant and his government.
First off the blocks was Leader of the Opposition Digambar Kamat, who tweeted: “Black Day in Goa’ as Goa Govt remains silent on Supreme Court’s decision to notify the award of Mhadei Water Dispute Tribunal diverting water from our Lifeline Mother Mhadei to Karnataka. We will now intensify people’s agitation against the insensitive Government.”
Goa Forward Party (GFP) president Vijai Sardesai joined in with this tweet: “Reliably known that Karnataka prayed to go ahead for the gazette notification of [the] Mhadei Tribunal Order. Goa didn’t object! And played into the hands of Karnataka which can now officially go ahead with the Kalsa Bandura project.”
Sardesai also said: “Karnataka can now officially go ahead with Kalsa Bhandura Project as promised by Union Minister Prakash Javadekar to Karnataka Home Minister Bommai in the letter of Dec 24, 2019.”
The Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) went a step ahead and demanded the resignation of Sawant.
MGP leader Sudin Dhavalikar said: “Goa is totally in trouble with this order because Javadekar has told Karnataka govt that after notification of the award they can go ahead with the work of diverting Mhadei.”
AAP leader Valmiki Naik said, at every stage in the fight to protect Goa’s interest over Mhadei water rights, the BJP governments in Goa have betrayed the State.
“BJP government which is uninterruptedly in power in Goa has betrayed the cause of
Goa,” Naik said.
Sawant did not respond to the criticism from the Opposition and has not said anything more than his tweet which only referred to Goa’s challenge of the Tribunal’s Award being heard by the Supreme Court in July.
Water Resources Minister Filipe Neri Rodrigues, meanwhile, said all was not lost.
“What happened today is that we had objected to the Tribunal award, for which the SC decided to hear our petition on July 15. It will be taken on priority. Over three days the court will hear our petition. Thereafter they will decide on all issues put before the Court,” Rodrigues said.
The contempt petition filed against Karnataka regarding commencing work is also pending before the Supreme Court, the minister added.
