BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said that his Goa counterpart Pramod Sawant’s recent statement in the Goa Legislative Assembly that Union Minister for Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav informed him that the Union Government will not give its nod for the Mahadayi river diversion project (also known as Kalasa-Banduri project) is an insult to the people of Karnataka. Siddaramaiah said that they will fight legally, politically, and morally until Karnataka gets its rightful share.
“Why hasn’t the Union Government officially communicated any concerns? Is this how federalism works under BJP? Backdoor sabotage, silence, and betrayal? What crime have Kannadigas committed? Are we being punished for not surrendering to the BJP?” the CM said. Mahadayi is not for luxury or waste, it is for the drinking water needs of North Karnataka, he said. “For decades, our people have waited for justice. But BJP’s and JDS’ Karnataka leaders have no spine to speak up. Their silence today will be remembered tomorrow. Despite the 2018 tribunal verdict allocating 13.42 tmcft of water to us, the Centre, hand in glove with Goa’s BJP govt, is blocking the implementation of our rightful project,” the CM added.
Meanwhile, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister HK Patil expressed shock over Sawant’s statement. Speaking to the media in Vidhana Soudha, Patil said that Karnataka will discuss the Mahadayi issue during the monsoon session of the legislature beginning August 11. Sawant had reportedly said that his government will move the Supreme Court, alleging that Karnataka has taken up activities on its territory that amount to sub judice.
“We are shocked by the official statement made by Goa CM Pramod Sawant in the Goa Assembly that Union Minister Bhupendar Yadav has informed him that the Centre will not approve the Mahadayi project for any reason. The Mahadayi water dispute was settled by a tribunal under the Inter-State Water Disputes Act, which gave a final verdict that was published in the Central Government Gazette. The verdict of the tribunal has come into force,” Patil added.
He recalled that Karnataka had submitted its request for diverting 7.56 tmcft of water to the Malaprabha valley for the Kalasa-Banduri project, of which 3.9 tmcft has been allocated. “The tribunal has agreed to carry out the intra-valley diversion by Karnataka.
Karnataka had filed an application for clearance from the National Tiger Conservation Authority for the implementation of the project. Goa had objected that 10.6 hectares of forest land fell within the Kali and Sahyadri tiger reserves. But authority on January 23, 2024, had recommended the use of the land,” he added.
Patil also took a dig at the National Wildlife Board, chaired by Bhupender Yadav, for deferring the decision on giving its clearance in its 77th, 79th, and 80th meetings despite the subject being part of the agenda.
“The Supreme Court has not issued any order to stay Karnataka’s Mahadayi project. The Central Water Commission on December 29, 2022, approved the revised detailed project report of Kalasa and Banduri project. The Supreme Court on April 19, 2023, disposed of Goa’s interim application on the original suit and dismissed its prayer seeking a stay order against the project,” the minister explained.
Patil further alleged that the Centre has been unnecessarily obstructing the implementation of Karnataka’s fair and legal and constitutionally protected project, which is an injustice to the federal system. Patil urged the Union Government to grant the necessary approval for the project, keeping in mind the interests of the people of Karnataka immediately.
Meanwhile, slamming the political parties for their failure to implement the Mahadayi project, farmer leader Raghavendra Naik from Belagavi said that neither the State Government nor the Centre were serious on the implementing it.
“The project was actually implemented when the BJP government was in power in the state. Several works under the project were taken up spending huge funds by the State Government before the project came to a halt at Kankumbi a decade ago. However, there is a need for the political leaders to unite and get this project implemented in the larger interests of people of North Karnataka,’’ he said.
(With inputs from Belagavi)