BELAGAVI : After a marathon, special debate on the Mahadayi imbroglio, the Goa Assembly on Saturday unanimously adopted a resolution demanding that the Centre withdraw the approval given to the detailed project report presented by the Karnataka government on the Kalasa-Banduri project.
Expressing concerns over the Centre’s support to Karnataka, the Assembly formed a House committee, headed by Goa Water Resources Minister Subhash Shirodkar and comprising legislators from all parties, to decide on the stand that the Goa government should take on the Mahadayi issue.
All the 40 MLAs took part in the discussion and they unitedly opposed the approval given to Karnataka’s DPR. The House committee will hear the opinions of environmentalists, scientists, legal experts and people of the state before presenting a report.
Earlier, the Assembly demanded that the Centre should not allow out-of-basin diversion of Mahadayi waters. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said the resolution passed by the House will be sent to the Centre soon. Opposition leaders urged Sawant to fix a specific deadline for the Centre to withdraw the DPR.
Sawant admitted that Karnataka has already diverted water at Haltara and Kalasa rivulets, and said his government has strongly objected to any diversion of water from the Mhadei basin into Karnataka. To utilise waters from the Mhadei river, six dams are in the pipeline, he added. The office of the Mhadei Water Management Authority should be in Panaji, said Sawant.