No diktat to Mhadei tribunal, Goa told

NEW DELHI, NOV 30
The Centre on Tuesday ruled out any instructions to the Mhadei river water tribunal constituted at the Supreme Court’s instance to settle the water dispute that has arisen between Karnataka and Goa.
Goa MP Shantaram Naik had approached the Water Resources Ministry to fix the terms of reference of the tribunal to ensure the water flow into Goa from the Mhadei river is not obstructed by the dams Karnataka is building on its tributaries Kalsa and Bhanduri.
His plea was, however, politely turned down by Water Resources Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, pointing out that the terms of reference of such tribunals are never laid down as the tribunals being judicial bodies are free to frame the issues in dispute.
Bansal said his ministry will forward all the representations it had received to the tribunal, but it will be for the Goa Government to approach the tribunal to frame the appropriate issues regarding its objection to the Karnataka irrigation project.
Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamat was to attend the meeting convened by Bansal in his Parliament House chamber at the instance of Shantaram Naik, but he could not make it to Delhi and hence the latter pleaded Goa’s case at the meeting.
Water Resources Secretary U N Panjiar and Commissioner A B Pandya, who is dealing with the Mhadei project, attended the meeting and responded to various queries of the Congress MP.
Panjiar explained that the terms of reference are specifically laid down by the Government in case of the Commissions set up under the Commissions of Inquiry Act, but not in case of the tribunals constituted for settling the inter-State disputes. It is left up to the tribunals to frame the appropriate issues, he added.
Naik had earlier written to the Water Resources Minister that the tribunal will not serve any purpose if proper terms of reference are not framed to meet Goa’s objections to the Karnataka project.