PANAJI/VASCO: Many villages across Goa, in their special gram sabhas held on Sunday, passed resolutions condemning the statement by Union home minister Amit Shah on Saturday that the Mhadei water dispute issue has already been resolved in consultation with Goa by Karnataka. Shah made the announcement at a political event in Belagavi district.
Villagers were involved in heated discussions on the issue of the diversion of water from Goa’s biggest river. The Keri gram sabha decided to form a 20-member committee and resolved to carry out an awareness campaign in the village to help locals better understand the Mhadei dispute. They also resolved to sit on a hunger strike if necessary to oppose the water diversion by Karnataka.
“Our government says one thing and does something entirely different,” said a member of the Camurlim panchayat, which passed a resolution opposing the approval to Karnataka’s DPR.
“Yesterday, home minister Amit Shah said in Karnataka that the water issue has been resolved already. Though we receive a good amount of rainfall in Goa, we face water shortage from February itself,” said the panchayat member.
The villagers of Korgao in Pernem passed a resolution to fight for the Mhadei’s waters unitedly.
“Amit Shah has made a statement which is against Goa’s interest and we unanimously condemn it. The approval given to Karnataka’s revised detailed project report (DPR) by the Central Water Commission should be withdrawn at the earliest. Chief minister Pramod Sawant should deal with this crucial issue very seriously now,” said former sarpanch of Korgao Sudeep Korgaonkar.
Other gram sabha members said that the Mhadei’s water is being diverted to Karnataka for the neighbouring state’s development at Goa’s cost. Villagers expressed anger towards Goa’s ruling dispensation for not being able to stop the diversion work.
“All our ministers should go to Karnataka and not return till the water diversion is stopped,” said an angry participant at Korgao’s gram sabha.
In Mayem, Sandeep Chodankar and Subhash Kinlekar proposed the resolution opposing the approval granted to Karnataka’s DPR by the Central Water Commission to divert water from River Mhadei’s tributaries, the Kalasa and the Bhandura nullahs.
The Chicalim gram sabha also turned stormy after members strongly objected to Karnataka’s water diversion efforts, going against the state’s submissions before the Supreme Court to not carry out the work without necessary approvals.
Gram sabha member Pratap Mardolkar demanded the panchayat pass the resolution that all permissions granted to Karnataka, including for the revised DPR, should be withdrawn. He also said that the tribunal’s award on water sharing between Maharashtra, Goa, and Karnataka should be revoked in view of Karnataka’s illegal diversion works.
“The panchayat shall endorse this resolution at the next meeting and forward the copies of the resolution to all relevant authorities in Goa and at the Centre for immediate implementation”, said Mardolkar in his resolution, seconded by other panchayat members.