Goemkarponn Desk
PANAJI: Karnataka State has vehemently objected to Goa’s Tri-State proposal to have the Mhadei Progressive River Authority for Water and Harmony (PRAWAH) inspect the Mhadei river basin. PRAWAH claims that because the matter is “sub-judice,” it lacks the authority to inspect or take action.
Since Karnataka started digging deep channels at Kankumbi to let water flow into the conduit that was constructed in the area in March, the Goa government has contacted PRAWAH to request their intervention and to demand an inspection of the site to determine the violations.
As a result, PRAWAH granted Goa’s request in April for a collaborative inspection to examine the river basin and requested that the three riparian states—Goa, Karnataka, and Maharashtra—communicate the dates for the inspection, based on their flexibility.
Goa had suggested that the inspection be conducted on April 15, 17, 20, and 22.
Well-placed sources attested to Karnataka’s adamant opposition to the site inspection. “The State in its communication to PRAWAH has raised its objection stating that the Authority has no powers or cannot intervene when the matter is sub-judice that is pending before the Supreme Court,” according to sources.
“Accordingly, PRAWAH has kept the site inspection plan on hold for now,” according to sources.
According to WRD Minister Subhash Shirodkar, PRAWAH has not contacted the State regarding the proposed dates for the site inspection.
“We’re awaiting their answer. He stated, “I don’t know if Maharashtra and Karnataka have turned in their action plans for the site visit.
At the Mhadei site, which was inside the government-notified reserved forest, Karnataka participated in the large-scale tree-cutting operation in March without obtaining any permits.
Environmentalist and leader of Mhadei Bachao Abhiyan Rajendra Kerkar stated that Karnataka is not doing any work at the site at the moment. “I have been keeping a careful eye on it. There isn’t any work happening after March,” he stated.
According to Kerkar, a site inspection conducted during the monsoon season will provide a clear picture of Karnataka’s violations.
The interim order dated April 17, 2014, issued by the Mhadei Water Disputes Tribunal, which stipulated that Karnataka could not begin work without a revised DPR that must be approved by the Union government or the Mhadei Water Management Authority and without obtaining all necessary permissions, was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2020.