BELAGAVI: The long-standing dispute over the diversion of water from Goa's Mahadayi river for Karnataka's Kalasa-Banduri project has escalated into a fresh political standoff, with top leaders from both states engaging in sharp verbal exchanges to defend their respective positions.
On Friday, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant hit back at Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who had earlier remarked that Sawant had "lost his mental balance." Shivakumar’s criticism came in response to Sawant’s statement in the Goa Legislative Assembly, where he claimed that the Centre had assured Goa it would not permit the implementation of the Kalasa-Banduri project.
“Shivakumar is revealing his party’s true colours. I don’t wish to dignify his remarks with a response. He is free to say what he wants, but one thing is clear that my fight to protect the Mahadayi will never stop,” Sawant asserted.
Sawant took particular exception to Shivakumar's claim that Karnataka was being treated unfairly in the Mahadayi matter. “For Goans, the Mahadayi is not just a river. She is our Mahataayi (mother),” he said.
The latest war of words follows Shivakumar's strong rebuttal of Sawant’s assertion that the Centre would never clear the Kalasa-Banduri project.
Karnataka has, for several years now, been lobbying the Centre for environmental and wildlife clearances required to begin work on the project. However, approvals have been withheld, largely due to concerns over the ecological sensitivity of the Western Ghats. A significant portion of the proposed project area lies within this fragile forest zone along the Karnataka-Goa border.