PANJIM: Following a notice issued by Goa, the Maharashtra government on Tuesday stopped the construction work of Virdi Dam on the Valvanti River.
Environmentalist Rajendra Kerkar had on Sunday exposed Maharashtra’s attempts to resume works of the dam at Virdi near Dodamarg, which is three km from the Goa border. Accordingly, the Chief Engineer WRD Pramod Badami issued notice to Maharashtra directing them to stop the ongoing work immediately as they lack permissions.
Speaking to media persons, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said that Maharashtra has stopped the work at Virdi. “Our officials visited the site and inspected it. No work was going on. We have issued notice to them through the Chief Engineer PWD and Chief Secretary,” he said.
Sawant said that Maharashtra has not obtained any permission from the concerned authorities to resume the dam work.
When contacted, environmentalist Kerkar also confirmed that no work was going on at the site. “The machinery including excavators, trucks, are shifted from the site,” he said.
Kerkar, however, said that the labourers there have informed that the work will commence in the next two-three days. “They told me that they are waiting for more labourers to come. Work will resume in two-three days,” he said.
In 2006, Maharashtra first proposed the dam at a location just 500m away from Goa’s border. Goa agreed in principle to the proposal on the condition that the water be utilised within the Mhadei basin and additional water be diverted to the Anjunem dam in Goa. Without any intimation to Goa, Maharashtra changed the dam’s location and commenced the work.
