Goa Forward Party asks Sawant govt to stop attempts of Karnataka to divert water

Panaji, Aug 5 (IANS) Goa Forward Party President Vijai Sardesai on Friday wrote to the Chief Secretary of the state requesting him to take steps to prevent Karnataka from allegedly constructing the Bandaras (weir) and stop any attempts from diverting the water of the Mhadei River.

Quoting environmentalist Rajendra Kerkar that the Karnataka government has allegedly initiated the construction with the intention of diverting water outside Mhadei basin in Karnataka, Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai sought intervention of the state government to conduct an inspection.

"The actions of Karnataka pose a severe threat to the Mhadei River flowing through Goa. There is an urgent need to investigate the matter and also bring this to the notice of Tribunal and Hon'ble Supreme Court on priority," Sardesai stated in a letter.

"Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant has stated multiple times that Mhadei is much more than a mother to him. We Goans believe that the Mhadei River is our lifeline. Therefore, I on behalf of the Goa Forward Party request the government to act on a war-footing basis by conducting an inspection immediately and taking necessary steps to prevent Karnataka from constructing the Bandaras and stop any attempts from diverting the water," He further said.

"AGAIN! @GovtofGoa looks the other way as #KarnatakaGovt continues with its arrogant dominance over #Mhadei. #Goa has no more patience for meaningless talk; will the@goacm be firm for once and ask #Karnataka to stop building the bandhara that will choke river Mhadei? YES or NO?" Sardesai had tweeted on Thursday.