Whilst the matter of the sharing of water in the Mhadei basin is in the court of the Water Tribunal, should the CM of Goa address the drinking water needs of Karnataka by addressing a letter regarding the same to Mr Yedurappa? This could adversely affect Goa’s case appeal in the Tribunal.
It does not require “Rocket Science” to understand, that our Chief Minister is the “Boss” of Goa, and he has full authorization of Amit Shah and Narendra Modi to say so. However, our leaders must not work “against” Goan interests; both anti-people and the Goan environment and ecology. Yedurappa, to whom the letter was addressed to is not a constitutional authority but a political figure of the BJP in Karnataka.
On the hot seat is the issue of water security and the damage done by the BJP government by promising water for “so-called drinking purposes to Karnataka” by sending a mock letter to Yedurappa, and which is totally farcical.
The MLA of Panjim, who has been representing the capital city for 20 years, instead of seriously addressing the genuine problems, in particular of rising traffic jams, increasing in levels of crime, due to gambling, alcohol & drug consumption and water scarcity with rising levels of garbage pollution on our streets & contamination of our with sewage & commercial releases, BJP government in Goa is venturing into fooling the Kannadigas, expecting them to be conned into believing that the Goa CM, who has starved the Panjimites for water for over 20 years is capable to solve the problems of Karnataka water needs by allowing Mhadei water diversion to serve the interest of Kannadigas under BJP rule. The diversion of Mhadei water into Malaprabha basin, denying water to Goa is totally illegal & immoral.
The local leader might have successfully fooled Goans, especially the Panjimites. But Kannadigas are not like the residents of Panjim and would vote totally on merits. The ‘chicanery’ on Mhadei water to Karnataka, would thus not affect the voting in Karnataka in 2018 but the way the Goa Government conducted itself on the water security of Goa is disastrous and contemptuous as the political behaviour has compromised the strong case Goa has in the adjudication of the Mhadei waters at the Water Tribunal .
On what basis was it declared that Goa has enough water to give and meet the needs of Karnataka? By blurting that Goa could consider sharing water, we have made a complete “U-turn” suggesting thus that Goa has been acting as a “dog in a manger” and has not released water for drinking, which it has in its control but would release it only if Yeddurappa or BJP government is installed in Karnataka. Surely, the Water Tribunal which has been so far sympathetic to Goa, would feel that the Goa legal team was making a bogus submission in Court that Goa requires water for meeting its own needs and I am afraid that the already starved Goan ecosystem would come in for a big jolt, as the Govt of Karnataka would go hammer and tongs that our Chief Minister has already declared that there is enough water to meet the drinking water needs of Karnataka. This move of the BJP government in Goa and the BJP high command when the matter rests in the court would cascade into a death of Goan rivers, and drying of our taps further from 1-2 hrs each day to 1-2 hrs water supply per week in the future as by committing indirectly to an out of court settlement on the ticklish Mhadei issue we have already compromised the water security needs of Goa at the National as well as International level.
Imagine a thief making a statement in Court of Law, that he is prepared to return the money he stole or collected, provided the money he returns or offers is made available to those the robber wishes to give. Then he qualifies his statement that without prejudice to the Court case and the hearings – that his legal submission that he has not robbed or stolen the money would continue if the complainant does not submit to the robber’s submission, that money given should be as per the offer made by the robber. Surely, the Judge would now know that the robber is blackmailing the victim and settle the case in favour of the one who lost the money.
Hence in the Mhadei issue, the judges would be compelled to believe that Parrikar is arm-twisting the Karnataka people to releasing water provided they vote for the BJP in the forthcoming elections!
As such Goa is truly a suffering State. Due to over-exploitation of natural resources, there is disturbance and destruction of the water table with its aquifers and make the water & iron ore rich belt of Sattari, Bicholim, Ponda, Sanguem, Quepem and Canacona, a water scarcity & a water deficient region. The coastal talukas which are dependent on the potable water supply from the Western Ghat talukas are today awaiting the ingress of saline water and falling victim to the sea water rise. Sadly, instead of facing the imminent threats of water shortages & a rise in salinity & pollution threatening life of the gene pool & biodiversity of Goa, the BJP government is actively playing the “Politics of water” which is detrimental to the life & livelihood of the Goa State. We must not allow to compromise on our gene pool and biodiversity.
How long will the suffering people of Goa allow themselves to be cheated and continuously deceived by the political class on issues of water security, unsustainable tourism, unscientific exploitation of resources, haphazard real estate planning, disturbing the serenity of our peaceful rural life with unnecessary 6 lane highways and dumping of garbage and industrial wastes on our pristine forests, plateaus & docile village folk, only time would answer as we require for Goa a Saviour who can take on the crooked political class and save Goa through a much deserved “Revolution”.
We must remember that we only see unscientific and non-sustainable development of Goa much against the tenets of holistic & healthy growth required for Goa and the Goans.
