Team Herald
PANJIM: While Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday welcomed the Centre’s decision to establish Mhadei Progressive River Authority for Welfare and Harmony (PRAWAH), the Opposition called it a farce and an attempt to divert attention from State’s original demand to withdraw the approval granted to the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of Karnataka’s Kalasa-Bhandura water diversion project.
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Speaking to media persons, Sawant thanked the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat for agreeing to State request to have Authority office in Panjim.
Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved establishment of PRAWAH (Mhadei Water Authority) for compliance and implementation of the Mhadei Water Dispute Tribunal (MWDT) award.
Sawant said that the establishment of the authority will help in preventing illegal diversion of Mhadei river water by Karnataka. “The water that was diverted through Kankumbi, will now be brought under control,” he said.
The Chief Minister said that though Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra have challenged MWDT award, as of now, Karnataka is allowed to take 3.2 TMC of water allotted to them in and outside Mhadei river basin.
“Nobody is stopping that. We have challenged the award and we will abide by SC directions. But any diversion beyond the permissible limit, will not be allowed,” he said.
Sawant said that the Authority will function in lines with Krishna River Management Board, an autonomous body established under the administrative control of Ministry of Jal Shakti to manage and regulate the waters in Krishna Basin in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Sawant said that he is making all efforts to protect State interest.
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao said that there is nothing to celebrate on Union Government’s Cabinet decision to form PRAWAH.
“Why there is complete silence on the withdrawal of approval given to the DPR of the Kalasa-Bhandura project? These are diversionary tactics to divert attention from diversion of Mhadei,” Alemao said.
Alemao further stated that every decision of the BJP Government needs to be taken with a ‘Pinch of Salt’. “Goans are repeatedly betrayed by the triple engine BJP Governments at the Centre, Karnataka and Goa,” he charged.
Alemao said that the time will prove whether the Authority’s formation will get back the diverted ‘Prawah’ of River Mhadei.
“We will have to keep a close watch on the Authority and check whose Welfare it is going to protect and bring in Harmony,” he added.
Congress Goa chief Amit Patkar reacting to the development said that it is a move of BJP to give all powers to authority controlled by the central government.
“With creation of Mhadei PRAWAH Authority, this BJP government is only willing to give all powers and control to an Authority controlled by the Central government, where every Goan will suffer and they will sell and destroy our state sitting in Delhi,” Patkar said.
“By this move, the Goa government has accepted that there will be illegal diversion of Mhadei and the setting up of Authority is a farce only meant to distract Goans who are trying to stop the diversion,” Patkar said.
Goa Forward Party MLA Vijai Sardesai said that while Karnataka is diverting water from Mhadei, the central government is diverting attention.
“Chief Minister Pramod Sawant is complicit in both. No Mhadei Water Authority will distract us from our non-negotiable demand. Government should withdraw permission given to Detailed Project Report of Karnataka. All else you do is a smokescreen designed to buy time and delay justice to Goa,” Sardesai said.
The Save Mhadei Save Goa’s South Goa group also slammed the CM for trying to “paint a false picture and mislead the public” regarding the establishment of the Mhadei Water Authority by the Central Government.
While addressing media persons on Thursday, the Salcete convenor of the group Serafin Cota, expressed surprise that both the Chief Ministers of Goa and Karnataka tweeted about the formation of the Authority and that both claimed that this step was a victory for their respective governments.
