PANAJI
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear Goa’s interlocutory application on the Mhadei issue on February 13. The petition seeks to stop Karnataka from undertaking construction activity based on the detailed project report approved by the Centre.
Confident of a favourable outcome, Advocate General Devidas Pangam has said the team of Goan advocates is all set to expose the Karnataka government.
Meanwhile, the intervention petition filed by senior journalist Vishant Vaze regarding the buffer zone around Mhadei and Bhimgadh wildlife sanctuaries will be heard on March 25. Vaze has also been added as a petitioner in the T M Godavarman case.
Acting on the petition by Vaze regarding buffer zone, SC has issued notice to the Union Environment Ministry and Karnataka government, stated Advocate General Devidas Pangam on Saturday.
The Union Environment Ministry had issued notice regarding notifying one km area of Mhadei wildlife sanctuary’s Goa side as buffer zone on February 25, 2015. But such a zone has not been notified in Karnataka.
The project that Karnataka plans to construct at the Kalasa nallah falls in the one km area from Mhadei wildlife sanctuary in Karnataka.
Karnataka has also planned a project on Bhandura nallah which is at a 2.4 km distance from Bhimgadh wildlife sanctuary in Karnataka. If the project is completed, it will impact the Bhimgadh wildlife sanctuary.
Experts say both the projects, Kalasa and Bhandura, planned by Karnataka government will be detrimental to Mhadei and Bhimgadh wildlife sanctuaries.
