Dozens of activists under the banner of ‘Save Mhadei Save Goa’ marched to the Water Resources Department head office in Porvorim on Tuesday morning, to condemn the recent statement of Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and criticise Chief Minister Pramod Sawant for campaigning in Karnataka ahead of its forthcoming elections.
The activists were blocked at the entrance of the main gate of the WRD office by police and they were told that only two representatives are allowed to meet the WRD Chief Engineer Pramod Badami.
The activists got furious and forcibly pushed the gate and entered the premises of the WRD shouting slogans. They later gheraoed Chief Engineer Pramod Badami in his office.
The activists claimed that the entire Goa needed to condemn the statement of Bommai that he would go to any extent to divert Mhadei waters. They also condemned Sawant for taking part in election campaigning in North Karnataka.
Among the activists present were Prajal Sakhardande, Abhijit Prabhudessai, Adv Hridaynath Shirodkar, Adv Pratima Coutinho, Mahesh Mhambre, Janardhan Bhandari and others. Velim MLA Cruz Silva, former MLA Alina Saldanha, former MLA Lavu Mamledar were also present to support the social activists.
They also demanded a copy of the report of the Monitoring Committee submitted by the State government to the Supreme Court regarding the Mhadei issue.
Badami told the activists that the Supreme Court had directed that a 3-member Monitoring Committee comprising senior officials of Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka should be formed and they should tour the Mhadei river and each of them should submit their report separately.
Badami said that M K Prasad had submitted his report on behalf of the Goa government on Mhadei river to Supreme Court in a sealed envelope.
“I do not have the copy of the report of the Monitoring Committee. The Goa government is very serious about this issue. We have not accepted the Tribunal’s award and have challenged the same before Supreme Court. Karnataka government has to take several permissions to divert Mhadei water to the Malabrabha basin and the Goa government has decided to challenge all the permissions,” said Badami.
Social activist Abhijit Prabhudessai said the Mhadei water, which is sought to be diverted by Karnataka, is not for drinking purpose only but for the use of cement, steel and power industries proposed near the Malaprabha basin.
“The Goa government should have brought these facts to the notice of Tribunal and the Supreme Court. The Goa government has done nothing to stop the diversion of the Mhadei water of Karnataka. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant is busy in election campaigning in North Karnataka,” said Prabhudessai.
Social activist Adv Hridaynath Shirodkar mentioned that in the meeting in Gadag-Karnataka on March 11, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had asserted that he would not keep quiet till the Mhadei water is diverted to Malaprabha basin.
“On March 12, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant addressed a public meeting in Kannada language and openly praised their ministers. The chief minister should apologise for his action. Secondly, the Goa government has not done anything to withdraw the sanction granted by central government to the DPR submitted by Karnataka. The people of Goa also need to know if the Goa government has activated the Mhadei cell,” said Shirodkar.
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