PANJIM: Following directions from the Mhadei Tribunal, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar has called an all-party meeting to discuss the tribunal order. The Mhadei Water Disputes Tribunal, headed by Justice J M Panchal, had suggested that the Chief Ministers of Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra try and reach an amicable settlement to the water dispute.
The tribunal said that ‘in the spirit of brotherhood in a federal system’, an amicable solution could be worked out. Following the suggestion, Parsekar has convened an all-party meet on Monday to discuss the issue.
A letter has been issued by the Special Secretary to CM to all political parties. The letter has been marked to Dy CM Francis D’Souza, WRD Minister Dayanand Mandrekar, Leader of the Opposition Pratapsingh Rane, ASG Atmaram Nadkarni, PWD Minister Ramkrishna (Sudin) Dhavalikar, Union AYUSH Minister Shripad Naik, South Goa MP Narendra Sawaikar, Rajya Sabha MP Shantaram Naik, BJP State president Vinay Tendulkar, GPCC president Luizinho Faleiro, MGP President Dipak Dhavalikar, NCP President Jose Philip D’Souza, GVP chief Mickky Pacheco, ex-Minister Nirmala Sawant, Dr Nandkumar Kamat, Environmentalist Rajendra Kerkar and Chief Engineer Water Resources Department.
Interestingly, the tribunal has rejected Karnataka’s plea for an interim order to allow the State to draw 7.56 tmc ft of water from the Mhadei to the Malaprabha River. Karnataka had sought water to meet the drinking water needs of drought-hit Belagavi, Hubballi-Dharwad and other towns in northern Karnataka.
