Delhi tribunal to hear Mhadei matter today

KERI: Hearing on the Mhadei water dispute will be held on Wednesday before the Mhadei Water Dispute Tribunal in Delhi. The Goa government will present evidence of the resumption of work on the Kalsa project by Karnataka.
The water resources department teams of Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka are already in Delhi. According to a consensus between the three states, Karnataka was directed not to utilize or divert water under the Kalsa-Bhandura project till the dispute between the three states concerned are finally adjudicated by the tribunal.
Accordingly, interlocutory application No. 1 of 2012 was finally disposed of and Karnataka plugged both vents of the inter-connecting canal with a brick masonry embankment by May 31, 2014.
Though Karnataka Neeravari Nigam Ltd had stopped work of the Kalsa canal for around 8-9 months, it has resumed work with the intention of completion before the monsoon.
Dayanand Mandrekar, WRD minister of Goa, who visited the site recently said, “Karnataka has resumed work on the Kalsa canal in full swing, working even through the night. Our team has meticulously collected evidence of violations by Karnataka and Maharashtra. We will produce all the evidence before the tribunal. ”
Under P J Kamat, additional chief engineer for the Mhadei basin, WRD officials had visited Kankumbi on March 28, 2015, and taken photographs of ongoing work of the Kalsa project.
Chairman of the tribunal justice J M Panchal, justice Vinay Mittal and justice P S Narayana visited the Goa site of the Mhadei basin between December 12 and 18, 2013, and then went to the Maharashtra and Karnataka sites.
“Presently, Karnataka has continued its work of the Kalsa canal at Kankumbi. At the left vent, a huge artificial reservoir has been created accumulating water of the Kalsa river originating at Rameshwar temple and this has created problems of air and noise pollution as well as scarcity of water,” said Kiran Gawade, a social activist.
The tribunal, in its order dated August 21, 2013, had framed 44 issues for adjudication, of which about 16 are pertaining to Goa.
Officials of the Goa WRD visiting the offices of Krishna water dispute tribunal, have collected information to consolidate Goa’s case in the Mhadei dispute.