Team Herald
PANJIM: Goa on Tuesday presented statistics proving that the Malprabha region, including Hubli and Dharwad, had received 21 percent surplus rainfall to the Mhadei Tribunal which began hearings.
The Tribunal will now hear Karnataka’s Intervening Application (IA) for release of 7.9 TMC water on Thursday as Goa will file a rejoinder on Wednesday opposing Karnataka’s IA.
Sensing the absence of Goa’s former Advocate General A N S Nadkarni, currently Additional Solicitor General, Karnataka brought two senior Counsels, Fali S Nariman and Anil Diwan, in addition to three other seniors already in their large team of more than 20 advocates.
However, based on a request by Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar, to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting for a NOC to utilize the services of Nadkarni, the law ministry issued the NOC after the intervention of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. On receipt of the NOC Nadkarni, who was in Supreme Court, rushed to the Mhadei Tribunal for the hearing.
Meanwhile, the cross examination of Goa witness, IIT Prof Dr Jyoti Prakash, continued on Tuesday, subsequently the Karnataka counsel asked for time to resume the matter on Wednesday.
The State will now be represented by Nadkarni assisted by lawyers Dattaprasad Lawande, Pankaj Vernekar, Ninad Laud and Prathap Venugopal.
