The Mhadei Bachao Abhiyan was founded by Social activist Nirmala Sawant in 1997 along with Rajendra Kerkar, Nandkumar Kamat, Nandkumar Bhagat, Avinash Bhonsle, Prakash Parienkar and myself as its executive founder members in Tivrem- Mashel.
The MBA led an active campaign to save the waters of Mhadei actively from September 1998 by visiting the Mhadei sites in Chapoli etc along with Amrut Kansar, Rupesh Samant, Rajendra Desai and others where the proposed dams would be built.
MBA engaged in judicial campaigns by moving the Supreme Court, holding press conferences, through articles in the newspapers and visiting sites of Kalsa-Banduri in Kankumbi.
Rajendra Kerkar worked tirelessly towards this great cause.
Belgaum activists Srihari Kunji, Londa MLA supported our movement. Mhadei issue was raised at the Yuva Mahotsav. Prakash Amonkar Pramod Mhadeshwar performed street plays with students.
When former CM (late) Manohar Parrikar wrote a letter to Karnataka’s CM BS Yeddyurappa, some of us, not MBA, but under ‘AMCHI Mhadei, Amkam Zai’, led a movement and protests in Mapusa.
In 2017, MBA moved the Supreme Court against the Karnataka State government for not taking environment clearance and almost won on August 2, 2017.
On November 1, 2019, I joined Mahesh Mhambrey, who founded Progressive Front of Goa and invited me for the Save Mhadei movement.
Entire Goa needs to unitedly fight this issue as it is not of just a few constituencies but of the entire State. Mhadei is our lifeline. I must also mention here that just because Karnataka has 27 MPs, has the Centre succumbed to their bullying tactics? Or has Goa become politicially negligible as it has just two MPs?
