PANJIM: Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, on Tuesday, alleged that the Pratapsing Rane Congress government in 2007 had granted a “no objection” to Karnataka for diversion of Mhadei River waters to Malaprabha basin. Rane, who immediately countered that the permission might have been granted on legal grounds, said “it was me who had moved the matter before Mhadei Tribunal”.
Speaking during the Question Hour, Parrikar informed the State Assembly that the stop order issued by BJP government in 2002 to Karnataka over water diversion was revoked by Rane government in February 2007.
“It allowed Karnataka to divert the water,” he said, responding to the question raised by BJP MLA Nilesh Cabral who sought to know as to when the Mhadei water crisis cropped up.
Responding quickly, Rane said “it was me who took up the matter before the Mhadei Tribunal for justice”. The Leader of Opposition claimed that Bellary in Karnataka being his in-laws place, many ministers from Karnataka visited me with a request to support diversion of water from Mhadei basin was made to him, however I said no. “If we had revoked the objection then it must be based on some legal grounds,” he said.
Earlier, Water Resources Minister Dayanand Mandrekar accused his Karnataka counterpart of bullying Goa over diversion of Mhadei River water despite the Tribunal banning them from doing so. Government also informed the House that it has filed an Interlocutory Application (IA) before the Mhadei Tribunal opposing Maharashtra for their proposed diversion of water to Tillari basin.
Replying to the question raised by BJP MLA Vishnu Wagh, Mandrekar said that Karnataka government has been paying scant respect to Supreme Court orders and Mhadei Water Dispute Tribunal and State government. “They (Karnataka) have been going ahead with the work, disrespecting the court orders. They have also overruled the Tribunal order. What else to say?” Mandrekar told the House.
Wagh had raised apprehensions and suspicions over Karnataka government’s disregards to the court orders. He sought to know the steps initiated by government to stop the diversion. The Mhadei issue came up before the Mhadei Water Dispute Tribunal on eight occasions.
