PANJIM: Claiming that Goa and Karnataka are “unhappy” with the Mhadei Water Dispute Tribunal (MWDT) award on the inter-State water diversion matter, Union Minister and Karnataka MP Pralhad Joshi feels that both the States should resort to “negotiated settlement” on the contentious issue.
Addressing media persons in Panjim, Joshi said that he has spoken to the Chief Minister of Goa and Karnataka, asking them to sit and talk regarding coming to a ‘negotiated settlement’ in the matter.
On August 14, 2018, the tribunal, which was hearing the dispute between Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra, for nearly two decades, over sharing of water from the Mhadei river, in its award had allotted 13.42 TMC (including 3.9 TMC for diversion into the depleted Malaprabha river basin) from the Mhadei river basin to Karnataka. Maharashtra has been allotted 1.33 TMC.
Both Goa and Karnataka have filed petitions in Supreme Court challenging the tribunal award.
“I can only suggest at this moment that the concerned Chief Ministers can sit and talk and try to resolve the issue,” said Joshi, while responding to a question on his stand on the Mhadei issue.
“The matter is already before the tribunal and tribunal has given its award. In spite of that, negotiated settlement would be a better settlement,” the Union Minister said.
Joshi said that even as the Tribunal has passed its order, both the State governments are unhappy and have accordingly moved the Supreme Court challenging the award. “That’s why I said it is better that we have negotiated settlement in the matter. I have requested the Karnataka CM and also the Goa CM to have negotiated settlement,” he added.
The Karnataka MP further said that there’s no question or any State carrying out work. “Since the matter is in tribunal, no government can do anything on that and no government is allowed to violate any law of the land and nobody is doing that,” he said.
“No work is going on as far as my knowledge goes on it,” he said when pointed out Karnataka’s violation in carrying out work of Kalsa-Bandura project, despite Supreme Court directions to maintain status quo in form of no work.
Goa has also filed a disobedience application against Karnataka before the tribunal for injunction by way of diverting the water of Mhadei River to Malaprabha basin, in violation of the Court order.
