Goa: Sawant firm, claims not a drop of Mhadei water will be lost

Goa: Sawant firm, claims not a drop of Mhadei water will be lost

Despite facing flak, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Saturday stood his ground and reiterated his resolve to continue Goa's fight for Mhadei even as he claimed that Karnataka has not yet received the necessary environmental clearances for its water diversion projects.

THE GOAN NETWORKUpdated: Sunday, January 29, 2023, 05:48 PM IST
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Despite facing flak, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Saturday stood his ground and reiterated his resolve to continue Goa's fight for Mhadei even as he claimed that Karnataka has not yet received the necessary environmental clearances for its water diversion projects. 

"Goa government has asked the Supreme Court for early hearing in Mhadei matter," Sawant said and asserted that his government will continue to fight for every drop of Mhadei water that rightfully belongs to Goa. 

"The DPRs of Karnataka have not received the necessary Environment clearances. I assure the people of Goa that my Government will protect Goa’s interests,” he added.

Meanwhile, Supreme Court is expected to constitute a separate Bench to hear Goa government’s application challenging the Central Water Commission’s (CWC) approval of the Karnataka government’s DPR.

“Several Benches are constituted to hear the matter, and for the current plea by the State of Goa, the SC will constitute another Bench. We expect a notification next week,” a senior bureaucrat at the Secretariat told The Goan amid fresh controversy over the issue.

The reason for a separate Bench is because Justice P S Narasimha, who has been recently elevated as the judge of the SC, had represented Goa in the apex court on Mhadei while Justice Dipankar Datta was the Chief Justice of the High Court of Bombay.

Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, on Friday, remarked that while he might not hear the dispute, he would assign a coram for the same; and list the matter on February 13. 

During the hearing, Senior Advocate Venkatesh Dhond, representing the State, pointed out that the divergence of the rivers would take place before February 13 after which the CJI assured to list the matter before this date.

Dhond, while citing Sawant’s tweet on the issue stated, “This is the issue concerning divergence of three rivers."

As tension between the two neighbouring states escalates over the diversion of Mhadei river, Goa claims “minor” relief with the Ministry of Environment & Forest, Climate Change deferring forest clearance.

The government official admitted that Karnataka will press for the clearance but “it is not possible to grant approval for the area where the construction is to take place.”

“Going by Karnataka’s history, they will surely compromise on certain things to get forest clearance. They have been doing it every time…Nevertheless, it is not possible because Kalsa is just 78 meters from Mhadei and Bhandura is within the proposed eco-sensitive zone of Bheemgad wildlife sanctuary. The project is 4.8 kms from the periphery of the draft eco-sensitive zone. It is legally impossible to construct the dam,” he said. The State is certain that the matter will not move ahead for Karnataka.

“It is the right beginning in the right direction,” Advocate General Devidas Pangam said when The Goan contacted him for an update.  

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