Bengaluru: The state govt has taken strong objection to Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant’s remarks in the Goa legislative assembly Tuesday, claiming Union minister for environment and forests, Bhupendra Yadav, had assured him that the Centre will not approve Karnataka’s Mahadayi project.Law and parliamentary affairs minister HK Patil Wednesday said Sawant’s remark has shocked Karnataka and demanded that the Centre immediately grant approval for the project, considering interests of people in the region and farmers of North Karnataka.Enumerating the sequence of events, Patil said the Mahadayi water dispute tribunal delivered a final verdict, which was published in the central govt’s gazette.Karnataka had requested to divert 7.6tmc feet of water from the Kalasa-Banduri project to the Malaprabha basin, but the tribunal, while approving the inter-basin diversion, allocated only 3.9tmc feet.Karnataka then submitted a proposal to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) for clearance to implement the project. Goa objected, claiming that 10.6 hectares of forest land falls within the Kali and Sahyadri tiger reserve areas. But on Jan 23, 2024, NTCA recommended use of this forest area.“But the National Wildlife Board has been delaying taking a decision on the recommendation. The Supreme Court has not issued any order to halt Karnataka’s Mahadayi project,” said Patil.He also said the Central Water Commission approved the revised detailed project report for the Kalasa and Banduri projects on Dec 29, 2022. The Supreme Court also dismissed Goa’s interim application against Karnataka’s Kalasa project, rejecting Goa’s plea for an injunction on April 19, 2023.“Despite no judicial hindrances, Karnataka faces unnecessary obstacles in implementing legitimate, legal, and constitutionally protected projects, which is unjust in a federal system,” said Patil.He said the central govt’s delay in granting the necessary approvals for these legally settled projects under the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act is causing public outrage.
