Goa’s interests will not be compromised at any cost, Chief Minister laxmikant Parsekar has said after attending an all-party meet on the Mhadei water dispute issue, even as he agreed to participate in a meeting with his counterparts from Maharashtra and Karnataka.
Even as political parties across the spectrum have backed Chief Minister to meet his counterparts, they have also warned Parsekar against looking for an out-of-court solution to the matter, especially when the case is pending in an inter-state tribunal appointed by the Central Government.
“I will attend the meet as a mark of respect to the sentiments expressed by the inter-state water tribunal. But one thing I want to ensure you is that the interest of Goa will never be compromised at any cost,” Parsekar told reporters after the inter-party meet here.
Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra are currently battling a dispute over the controversial Kalsa-Bhandura dam project across the waters of the Mhadei river at a central tribunal.
Mhadei also known as the Mandovi river, is known as a lifeline in the northern parts of the State. It originates in Karnataka and meets the Arabian Sea in Panaji in Goa, while briefly flowing through the territory of Maharashtra.
While the river runs 28.8 km in Karnataka, it is 81.2 km in length in the State Goa.
Karnataka aims to build seven dams at various points along the river, aimed with an objective to divert the flow into what it claims is the water-starved Malaprabha basin in North Karnataka.
Both, Goa Government and civil society groups in Goa have said that diverting the waters of the river would sound a death knell to the northern areas of the State, which are dependent on the river for fishing, irrigation and potable water supply.
A couple of months back, the tribunal has directed the chief ministers of the three States try and resolve the issue amicably.
Parsekar also said that it would be unfair not to respond to a meeting of Chief Ministers of Indian states.
“It is unfair to expect me not to meet CMs of Indian states,” Parsekar said.
State Congress chief luizinho Faleiro, who was also present at the meeting however said that there was no point speaking to Karnataka on the water dispute issue.
“There is no scope for discussion on the issue with Karnataka,” Faleiro told The Pioneer after attending the all-party meet.
The meeting was attended by Union Minister of State (independent charge) for AYUSH Shri Shripad Naik, Deputy Chief Minister, Shri Francis D’souza, Solicitor Advocate General of India, Adv. Attmaram Nadkarni, Minister for Water Resources, Shri Dayanand Mandrekar,Member of Parliament (South), Adv. Narendra Sawaikar, Chief Secretary, Shri R.K. Srivastava, among others.