Mahadayi: Will bring to SC's notice violations by K'taka

Bengaluru: Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday said the state government will bring to the Supreme Court”s notice “violations” of its order by Karnataka at the Kalsa-Bhanduri project on Mahadayi river.

Three riparian states — Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka — have challenged the award of the Inter-State Water Dispute Tribunal over sharing of the Mahadayi water by filing a special leave petition (SLP) in the SC.

A special leave petition filed by Goa over the award given by Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal will be heard in July.

“We have already started preparing to present our case before SC in July. We will bring to the court”s notice violations by Karnataka at proposed Kalsa-Bhanduri project on Mahadayi river,” Sawant told reporters in Panaji.

Through its order in 2014, the Apex court had stayed any work on the proposed dam site.

The Union Ministry of Jal Shakti last week issued a notification on the award of Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal, pronounced in August 2018, which allowed Karnataka to divert water from Mahadayi river for Kalsa-Bhanduri project.

The chief minister said the Goa government will file applications before various ministries including the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change objecting to the permission given to Karnataka for the project.

The opposition parties have been criticising the Sawant-led government for its failure to protect Mahadayi river.