Team Herald
PANJIM: Demanding immediate withdrawal of consent letter granted to Kalsa-Banduri alleged drinking water project, Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant has urged Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) Prakash Javadekar to direct the Ministry not to entertain any further request from Karnataka for any kind of clearance for the project in Mhadei basin till disputes are resolved in the Supreme Court. (Related reports on Pg 5)
The Chief Minister also said that it is not understood as on what basis the Ministry reached the conclusion that the said project is purely a drinking water project. Further, he said that the Award given by the Mhadei Water Dispute Tribunal (MWDT) in August 2018 is yet to be notified by the Central government and made operative.
“I request you to direct the Ministry to immediately withdraw the letter,” he said.
“I also request you to direct the Ministry to not entertain any further request from the State of Karnataka for any kind of clearances for a project in the Mhadei basin, whether the environmental clearance, forest clearance, wildlife clearance, etc. till the dispute is finally resolved by the Apex court, the clarifications as sought are given by the Tribunal and the Award is notified by the Central government and made operative,” Chief Minister added.
The communication is following MOEF&CC consent to Kalsa-Banduri drinking water project, which the Ministry has kept outside the ambit of EIA notification 2006, while directing the Karnataka State to seek Forest and Wildlife clearance.
Following the consent, there was an outrage in Goa, with opposition and environmentalist slamming the Central and State government over its failure to protect Goa’s interest.
The Chief Minister also said that it would also be in right perspective if team of “your Ministry conducts a visit to the site along with representatives of basin States to inspect and get a first hand information of the actions of the Karnataka of actually diverting waters of Mhadei basin to Malaprabha basin in contravention of even the directives of the Tribunal.”
In a ten-point letter, Sawant has explained the importance of Mhadei River for the State stating that it is the lifeline that constitutes almost half of the territory of Goa. He said that there are five wildlife sanctuaries and one bird sanctuary within the Mhadei basin, and the area is ecologically fragile and a hotspot of bio-diversity.
Pointing to the MWDT award, Chief Minister has said that Section 5(3) of the Inter-State Water Dispute Act allows the parties to seek clarification from the tribunal regarding the Award. “Accordingly, certain clarification has been sought from the tribunal by all the three parties Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra and also by the Union Ministry of Water Resources. The tribunal is yet to provide the clarification,” he said.
Sawant informed that all the States have challenged various portions of the Award before the Supreme Court by filing Special Leave Petitions in the Apex Court. “The matter is currently sub-judice in the Court,” he said.
He also said that the government is yet to notify the Award given by the Tribunal also the said Mhadei water management authority is yet to be constituted by the Union government. “Also if the State of Karnataka has prepared the revised DPR and has obtained approval for the same from the Union government, the said DPR has not been shared with the State of Goa,” Sawant added.
Questioning as on what basis the Ministry reached the conclusion that the Kalsa-Banduri project is purely a drinking water project, Sawant has pointed out that the pleadings of Karnataka and also the evidence produced by their witness before the Tribunal, clearly indicate that one of the purposes of the project is to augment irrigation in the Malaprabha project command.
