Team Herald
PANJIM: The Goa Forward Party (GFP) State executive committee on Wednesday resolved to move the Court against Central Government’s clearance to Karnataka’s Kalasa-Banduri project over River Mhadei. The party has authorized its president Vijai Sardesai to move the relevant court against the decision.
The executive committee that met under Sardesai also resolved to extend its support to the protest call given by Progressive Front of Goa (PFG) on November 1, demanding immediate withdrawal of consent to the Kalasa-Banduri project.
Addressing media persons post the meeting, Sardesai said that the executive committee has authorised him to move before the relevant court against Central government. “We will soon be filing the petition challenging the consent,” he said.
The former Deputy Chief Minister charged that the Central move to call the Kalasa-Banduri water diversion project as “drinking water” will have irreversible damage to Goa’s ecosystem.
Extending support to the protest call given by PFG, Sardesai has urged all the NGOs, civil society groups, political leaders and citizens to join hands to save Goa for prosperity.
“Let us not make this as political issue. Keeping aside political affiliation, let us all join hands and fight unanimously,” he said.
Later speaking, GFP MLA and former Minister for Water Resources Department Vinod Palyekar questioned Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s soft stand over the issue. “It appears that the Chief Minister has not taken the issue very seriously. His action says so. He has failed to take any strong stand against central government’s decision,” he said.
Palyekar said that government’s “not so serious” attitude towards Mhadei River will work against the State’s interest.
The Central government last week granted its consent to Kalasa-Banduri drinking water project off Mhadei basin. The move witnessed much outrage in Goa.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant in a letter to Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Prakash Javadekar, had sought the immediate withdrawal of the consent, failing which, he said he would be forced to seek Prime Minister’s intervention and to also challenge the decision before the National Green Tribunal (NGT).
