Team Herald
PANJIM: The Goa government has now filed an interlocutory application (IA) in the Supreme Court seeking to restrain Karnataka government from going ahead with construction work of Kalasa-Bandura dam project by diverting Mhadei water following Central Water Commission (CWC) approving Karnataka’s Detailed Project Report (DPR), last month.
Advocate General Devidas Pangam said in the IA, Goa has prayed that Karnataka should not be permitted to carry out any construction work in the Mhadei basin based on DPR approved by CWC. He said as per Section 29 of Wild life Protection Act, 1972, water cannot be diverted from one basin to another.
He said this can be done only if permission is granted by the Chief Wildlife Warden. He further pointed that the Inter-State Mhadei water Disputes Tribunal has also made it clear that if any works in the Mhadei River basin are to be taken up then permissions should be obtained from the Chief Wildlife Warden, as per the Act.
The Goa Forest Department has already issued a show cause notice to Karnataka government over its proposed construction of drinking water project thereby diverting or stopping or reducing the flow of Kalasa-Bandura tributaries, one of the prime sources of water to State’s Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary.
AG Pangam said that Goa had strong grounds to stop Karnataka’s sinister designs to divert the Mhadei River. The matter has not yet been listed for hearing, he added.
