Team Herald

The Mhadei movement was not started by Goans. It was actually born and also reared by Lt Gen SC Sardespande (retd), hailing from Dharwad, about two decades ago.

Environmentalists from Belgavi – Niranjan Sant, Prabhu Azgaonkar, Madhukar Bachulkar – and many others from various parts of Karnataka have been opposing this project tooth and nail. Speaking to Herald, Prabhu Azgaonkar said the environmentalists are of the view that in 700 sq mt of area of the Mhadei valley in Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka existed the richest facets of biological wealth and different species of flaura and fauna.

“Wroghton free-tailed bats have their only known habitat in Bavepada Caves near Talewadi in Gawali of Khanapur in the whole world,” he said. He added that in 1905 Paul Bats, an internationally known scientist, came with a bullock cart and scientifically proved the existence of Wroghton free-tailed bats.

“Their presence in these caves have been proved again five years ago by another scientist from USA,” he says.