Repeated delays draw Opposition anger
PANAJI
The long-delayed House Committee meeting on the contentious Mhadei River diversion issue, initially scheduled for December 27, has been postponed yet again. The new date, January 10, 2025, if adhered to, will only be the second meeting of the committee in nearly two years – the first having been held in January 2023.
The 12-member House Committee, which includes representatives from BJP, Congress, MGP, GFP, AAP, RG and Independent MLAs, was formed to study the sensitive water diversion matter.
However, repeated delays have sparked anger with the Opposition parties lashing out at the government.
Leader of the Opposition Yuri Alemao said, “Incapacitated BJP government has always shown a lackadaisical approach towards Mhadei and now it has again postponed the House Committee meeting. This committee was formed for namesake as nothing concrete is happening and despite several requests, WRD Minister Subhash Shirodkar is not convening meetings.”
Yuri further said, “BJP leadership right from Delhi to Goa has sold Mhadei to Karnataka to get a major political dividend in Karnataka. People of Goa will teach a lesson to backstabbers. We will fight to protect Mhadei.”
Expressing frustration over the development Goa Forward Party (GFP) President Vijai Sardesai slamming the government said, “The Goa government is not at all serious about Mhadei. This is nothing but timepass.”
Minister for Water Resources Subhash Shirodkar remained unavailable for comment despite The Goan’s repeated attempts to reach him.
The minister, in August, had announced that the House Committee would reconvene post-Ganesh Chaturthi.
At its inaugural meeting in January 2023, the Committee resolved to rope in a panel of national-level consultants and experts to assess the diversion’s impact on Goa. However, no consultants or experts have been appointed till date.
Adding to Goa’s woes, Karnataka Neeravari Nigam Ltd (KNNL) in the interim issued a tender to expedite the Kalasa project as it conveyed to the authorities for completion within a year. The Kalasa-Bandura project is a major bone of contention between Goa and Karnataka, with serious implications for Goa’s water security.
