No question of outside settlement: Dhavalikar on Mhadei issue

Team Herald

PANJIM: A day after Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddiyurappa announced his plan to meet his Goa counterpart Dr Pramod Sawant next week to find an amicable solution to the contentious Mhadei River water diversion issue, Goa’s oldest regional party the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) has warned against the same stating when the matter is in Court no question of outside settlement. 

Responding to media questions, MGP senior leader Ramkrishna Dhavalikar said that when the matter is before the Supreme Court, where is the question of outside settlement? “Let the court decide the dispute,” he said. 

“Even if Chief Minister wants to hold talks with Karnataka, he should not compromise on State interest. State’s interest needs to be upheld,” he said. 

On August 14, 2018 the Mhadei Water Dispute tribunal (MWDT) which was hearing a dispute between Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra, for nearly two decades, over sharing of water from the Mhadei River, in its award had allotted 13.42 TMC (including 3.9 TMC for diversion into the depleted Malaprabha River basin) from the Mhadei River basin to Karnataka. Maharashtra has been allotted 1.33 TMC.

Both Goa and Karnataka have filed petitions in Supreme Court challenging the award of the tribunal. 

On Monday, claiming that Goa and Karnataka are “unhappy” with tribunal award on the inter-State water diversion matter, Union Minister and Karnataka MP Pralhad Joshi suggested that both the States should resort to “negotiated settlement” on the contentious issue. 

A day after that, Yeddiyurappa told reporters in Bangalore that he has sought an appointment with Dr Sawant, during his visit to the coastal State on September 16 and 17 to discuss Mhadei issue. 

Praising Narendra Modi-led government for successful completion of 100-days of governance, Dhavalikar demanded that Central government should liberate Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, after their bold decision on Jammu and Kashmir.

He said revoking Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir was one of his remarkable decisions during his second tenure.

“After revocation of Article 370, now the Modi-led government should free Pak Occupied Kashmir and annex it to our land,” Dhavalikar said, whose party had supported Congress during recently held Lok Sabha election.