Team Herald
PANJIM: The Supreme Court of India has agreed to an early hearing in the Interlocutory Application (IA) filed by Goa praying to restrain Karnataka from proceeding with the diversion of the River Mhadei under the Kalasa-Bandura project. The State had mentioned before the Chief Justice of India (CJI) for an early hearing, which was accepted by the CJI.
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The Advocate General of Goa Devidas Pangam has informed that it was mentioned before the CJI in the Supreme Court that Goa needs an early hearing of the Mhadei case.
“We asked for an urgent hearing by next week. The Chief Justice has accepted the request. The case will be listed early,” he said.
AG Pangam said that Goa has filed the IA application for interim relief before the SC and has sought for the hearing of the same on urgent basis.
On January 15, the Goa government had filed an interlocutory application (IA) in the Supreme Court seeking to restrain Karnataka government from going ahead with construction work of Kalasa-Bandura dam project by diverting Mhadei water following Central Water Commission (CWC) approving Karnataka’s Detailed Project Report (DPR), last month.
Advocate General Devidas Pangam said in the IA, Goa has prayed that Karnataka should not be permitted to carry out any construction work in the Mhadei basin based on DPR approved by CWC. He said as per Section 29 of Wild Life Protection Act, 1972, water cannot be diverted from one basin to another basin.
He had said that this can be done only if permission is granted by the Chief Wildlife Warden. He further pointed that the Inter-State Mhadei Water Disputes Tribunal has also made it clear that if any works in the Mhadei River basin are to be taken up then permissions should be obtained from the Chief Wildlife Warden, as per the Act.
