Team Herald
PANJIM: The Save Mhadei Save Goa Front on Tuesday gheraoed Water Resources Chief Engineer P Badami in protest against the government’s failure to oppose the proposed diversion of Mhadei waters by Karnataka.
The agitators demanded that all the real facts related to Mhadei River diversion be put in public domain. They condemned the statement of Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai that he would go to any extent to divert the waters of River Mhadei.
They hit out at Chief Minister Pramod Sawant for campaigning in Karnataka and for standing a mute spectator to utterances on stage by Karnataka politicians that the Mhadei water issue had been resolved and that Karnataka would get water from Mhadei.
The WRD chief engineer told them that in principle the State government has opposed the diversion of Mhadei water even as the protestors demanded his resignation alleging that he had his roots in Noth Karnataka.
In a representation addressed to WRD Minister Subhash Shirodkar, the agitators alleged that the State government is not very serious about the Mhadei matter before the Supreme Court and demanded removal of chief engineer Badami, who had been granted extension-in service and whose roots and interests are in North Karnataka and who cannot give justice as far as Mhadei water dispute is concerned.
They demanded that the Chief Minister should apologise for his act of supporting the Bommai government in Karnataka by campaigning for him in the election rallies and demanded that Pramod Sawant once for all declare his stand on Mhadei whether he will stop the entire process of diversion or is he ready to accept the verdict of the Tribunal and share the water with Karnataka.
The government should challenge the action of the Central Water Commission (CWC) in approving the revised Detailed Project Report (DPR) on Kalasa-Bhandura project which now include Surla nallah and to submit report of the Monitoring Committee to ensure that all violations are brought before the Supreme Court, the protestors said.
Former Environment Minister Alina Saldanha, AAP MLA Cruz Silva, Save Mhadei Save Goa Front Convenor Adv Hrydaynath Shirodkar, Mahesh Mhambre, AAP Vice-President Pratima Coutinho and Congress leaders were part of the agitating group.
