PANJIM: Goa BJP desk in-charge CT Ravi on Monday said that Mhadei river water diversion matter is sub judice and all the three States will have to accept the Court verdict.

Addressing reporters, Ravi refused to speak on the subject stating that the matter is sub judice and any statement on it could lead to controversy. “The matter is sub judice and I cannot speak on it, all three states will have to accept the verdict of the Court,” he said.

Ravi further said that both Goa and Karnataka will abide by the Court order. “Karnataka and Goa will follow it. We are a nationalist party, which means for us both Karnataka and Goa are important,” he added.

All the three States including Goa have already filed a special leave petition in the Supreme Court challenging the Mhadei Water Dispute Tribunal award in 2018, which allowed Karnataka to divert 13.42 TMC water from the river basin. The SLP had also said that Karnataka was diverting more water than what allotted by the Award.

Despite the pending SLP, the Central government approved Karnataka’s Detailed Project Report (DPR) for Kalasa-Bandhura drinking water project which is proposed by diverting Mhadei river water, just four months before crucial Karnataka Assembly elections.

The BJP-led Goa government has been repeatedly stating that it won’t allow Karnataka to divert the water and will fight tooth and nail. The government even made several representations to the Centre to withdraw the permission granted to the DPR. However, it failed to get any result.