Team Herald
PANJIM: The State government has finally woken up to raise its concern before the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti over Karnataka government’s order implementing hydropower project using water from the disputed Mhadei River basin.
According to an order issued in February 2022, the Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government has approved the Karnataka Power Corporation Limited to implement the Mahadayi Hydro Power Project, as per the final verdict of the Mhadei Water Disputes Tribunal.
Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant expressed confidence that the Centre will not grant permission to Karnataka’s internal project.
Sawant said that the government had raised concern before Union government on the internal DPR on hydropower project by Karnataka on Mhadei River.
“We are confident that the Centre has not given any permission and nor will it grant in future,” he said.
The Mhadei Water Dispute Tribunal in its August 14, 2018 award, which the Centre notified in February 2020, the tribunal allocated 13.42 tmcft of water to Karnataka, which includes 5.40 tmcft for consumption. Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra had demanded 36.71 TMC, 122 TMC, and 6.5 TMC of water from the Mhadei River.
The State government has already filed a contempt petition before the Supreme Court against Karnataka for diverting Mhadei waters by constructing conduits to the Malaprabha basin, in violation of directives of the court and the tribunal.
