Goemkarponn Desk
PANAJI: The Goa government’s reluctance to go for a Tiger Reserve has raised serious worries for environmental crusaders, who fear “end of road” for the State, for its over two-decade old Mhadei river diversion battle against Karnataka. The recent decision of the State Wildlife Board is termed as a “nail in the coffin” for Mhadei river.
The activists call the decision as “politically motivated” and with “vested interest” , which has weakened Goa’s legal battle to save Mhadei river from being diverted. They feel that the declaration of Mhadei wildlife sanctuary as tiger reserve would have strengthened State’s claim under Wildlife Protection Act, as the river flows through the sanctuary.
The leader of Mhadei Bachaco Abhiyan (MBA)-that spread headed the movement against Mhadei river diversion, Rajendra Kerkar said that the decision clearly indicates that the government wants to protect the interests of a few vested parties. “The recent forest fires in the wildlife sanctuary was actually a first step to destroy the habitat of tiger. The government is also making all efforts to de-notify the wildlife sanctuaries including Mhadei,” he said.
Kerkar, who is also a tiger enthusiast, said “declaration of tiger reserve would have strengthen Goa’s Mhadei river case. The entire corridor of the western ghat, though which Mhadei river flows, is a tiger habitat and declaring it a reserve would have given additional protection. When we are fighting the entire battle under Wildlife Protection Act, it is important that we take into account everything that is under the Act”.
Mhadei Bachao Abhiyan (MBA) convenor Nirmala Sawant slammed the government for taking a decision against the interest of Goa and the Mhadei river. “The government needs to strengthen the aspects which will help in stopping Karnataka from diverting the river. Wildlife and tiger reserve is one such strongest aspect,” she said.
“The decision is nail in the coffin for Mhadei river. Goa government has now made a strong case to see that Mhadei river water is diverted,” she added.
Sawant had led the movement to protect the Mhadei river almost two decades back, and demanded that the government make public the “criteria” under which “Goa does not fit into to be a tiger reserve”. “If the government is not able to disclose this, that means there is something else,” she suspected.
The Supreme Court has scheduled hearing in the special leave petition filed by Goa government in November. The SLP has challenged Mhadei Water dispute tribunal Award to allocate 13 tmc of water to Karnataka.
Karnataka has proposed construction of dams through its Kalasa-Bhandura project to diver the flow of Mhadei into Malaprabha basin.
The Save Mhadei Save Tiger – a campaign launched to declare Mhadei wildlife sanctuary as a tiger reserve, has strongly criticised the government. “It is a politically motivated decision taken by the CM and Forest Minister (Vishwajit Rane).
Declaring the tiger reserve would have given a major boost to our Mhadei River diversion case. But unfortunately, it looks like we lost it even before fighting,” Convenor Rajan Ghate said.
