BENGALURU: The Goa government has rejected Karnataka’s proposal to have an out-of-court settlement of the Mahadayi river water dispute. It has asked Karnataka to wait for the final award of the Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal.
“Since the matter is pending before the Tribunal and the case is proceeding at a fast pace, it will not be appropriate to hold dialogue on the issue to find an amicable solution outside the purview of the Tribunal,” Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar categorically said in his January 19, 2016 letter to his Karnataka counterpart Siddaramaiah.
Parsekar’s response follows a letter from Siddaramaiah seeking an appointment with the former to meet a delegation of ministers and opposition leaders from Karnataka to discuss the possibilities of finding an amicable solution to the dispute.
This leaves Karnataka with just two options -- wait for the Tribunal’s verdict on its recent petition seeking interim relief, or the final award. Though, it can give one more try at persuading Prime Minister Narendra Modi to convene a meeting with the CMs of states concerned, it is highly unlikely to meet with a favourable response.
Responding to Parsekar’s letter, Water Resources Minister M B Patil said it was an unfortunate development. “The talks would have helped farmers of theparched North Karnataka region which is facing acute shortage of drinking water,” he added.
People, especially farmers of Dharwad and Belagavi districts in North Karnataka, have been protesting on the roads for months seeking water from Mahadayi river as the region is hit by a severe drought this year.
The farmers are also pressuring the state government to try for either an out-of-court settlement or an interim order from the Tribunal as they feel a final settlement of the issue would take a long time.
This had forced Siddaramaiah to invite his Goa counterpart for a dialogue besides filing an application before the Tribunal for an interim award. Karnataka is seeking to draw 7.2 tmcft of water from Kalasa-Banduri streams, the tributaries of Mahadayi river, into Malaprabha river to quench the thirst of people of several towns and villages including Hubballi-Dharwad.
“The adjudication and award of the Tribunal can be expedited if the contesting states cooperate with the proceedings and do not hamper regular hearings by filing Interlocutory Applications,” Pareskar added.