PANAJI
Almost a week after the Goa Legislative Assembly’s House Committee resolved to approach Karnataka Speaker through its Goa counterpart to inspect Kalsa-Bhandura project site, Goa Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar, ruled out any such move, stating that the ‘Speakers have got no role’ and the approval need to be sought at the government level.
The House Committee on Mhadei had met on January 8, two years after it had its first meeting in February 2023. The Committee, headed by WRD Minister Subhash Shirodkar unanimously resolved to inspect the Kalsa-Bhandura site for ground verification to write to Goa Assembly Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar to communicate with its counterpart in Karnataka for permission.
Speaking to The Goan, Tawadkar said “how can the Speaker seek permission?...it has to be done at the government level…Speaker role is only to accept the House Committee report …beyond that I cannot write to KA Speaker for permission to inspect site…we have no role to play”.
Tawadkar said that the House Committee will have to write to the State government to communicate with Karnataka and obtain permission.
The committee decided to conduct a site inspection to verify the ground fact following media reports that while work on Kalasa project is going on full-swing, the work is set to commence soon by Karnataka to divert water from tributaries of the Mhadei into the Malaprabha basin via Bandhura project at Nerse. According to environmentalist Rajendra Kerkar, pipe fabrication plant has been set up at Khanapur in Karnataka for water diversion.
Meanwhile, it is learnt that the Supreme Court has listed Mhadei matter for hearing in the week commencing from January 20.
Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra have filed Special Leave Petitions in the Court challenging the Mhadei Distribute Tribunal Award, dated August 2018.
Also, the Goa Government has filed contempt plea against Karnataka for undertaking construction works at Kankumbi for diversion of Mhadei river water to Malaprabha basin. The State has also raised an objection before the Court against Central Water Commission’s technical approval to the detailed project report (DPR) for Kalsa-Bhandura drinking water project.
