Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The Karnataka government has raised strong objection to Goa’s proposal to conduct yet another joint site inspection of the Kalsa Bandura project site at Kankumbi.
During the third PRAWAH committee meeting held in Goa on Friday, Karnataka objected to site inspection citing that the matter is subjudice judice
However Goa was firm on its demand of site inspection claiming that Karnataka would stand exposed over its violation of attempt to divert water from Mhadei river basin to Malaprabha
“Since both the States were firm on their stand, the Authority decided to seek opinion from the Central Water Commission on the issue and accordingly decide,” said Shirodkar.
Despite the absence of the WRD secretary, the Minister clarified that Link Officer and WRD director Pramod Badami participated in the meeting.
According to sources, during the meeting, the members were shown the letter that the Goa government had sent asking for a joint inspection by the authority members at the Kalasa nullah, where Karnataka has diverted water from the Mhadei basin to the Malaprabha basin.
Following a dicussion, it was determined to consult the central government for legal advice because the Supreme Court is now considering the case. According to sources, the authority decided to seek a legal opinion from the Union government because the subject is under-judice.
In violation of court orders, the Goa government has been calling for a joint inspection to be conducted at the Kalasa nullah projects on the diversion of Mhadei water.
The establishment of office space for the PRAWAH authority in Porvorim was also approved administratively during the meeting. Goa, Karnataka, and Maharashtra will each need to donate Rs 1.7 crore towards this.
An initial commitment of Rs 5 crore has already been made by the central government to the authority for office space in Goa. The meeting also included a discussion on Mhadei PRAWAH’s e-office implementation.
“Looks like the PRAWAH members are in Goa for holiday and not serious about the issue,” said environmentalist Rajendra Kerkar, who expressed severe disapproval of PRAWAH’s choice to approach the Center.
In addition, he expressed disapproval of the WRD secretary’s absence from the meeting, casting doubt on Goa’s commitment to the divisive topic.
