Water issue: Rane to lead all-party delegation to PM

Panaji, Sept 29: The Goa government today decided to depute an all-party delegation led by Chief Minister Pratapsingh Rane to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in an attempt to resolve the water dispute with Karnataka.

Disclosing this to media persons after a cabinet meeting here, Mr Rane said the former Prime Minister and the current Prime Minister were not in favour of Karnataka going ahead with its idea of diverting water from Goa's Mahdei basin to Karnataka's Malaprabha basin.

The delegation, he said, would call on the Prime Minister after 'Dusserah' to seek his intervention to influence Katnataka to abort their inter-basin diversion project which will have serious repercussions on Goa's environment and ecology.

''There will be fish famine in Goa with zooplankton that provides food to the marine life stopped flowing from the north of Mahdei river if Karnataka goes ahead with its water diversion project,'' he said.

Mr Rana said the diversion project, was bad for Goa as it would affect its irrigation and power projects, besides, disturbing the fragile ecology and environment.

''We have strong points in our favour to fight against the move of Karnataka. Malaprabha has already been a surplus basin and it is meaningless to divert our water at the cost of our genuine interests,'' Mr Rane said.

He said the delegation would also meet Union Water Resources Minister Saiffudin Soz to plead for a stay of work in Karnataka even as the Supreme Court yesterday, refused to restrain Karnataka from going ahead with the project.

Goa's Water Resources Minister Fillipe Neri Rodrigues told mediapersons that Karnataka could not go against the Constitution by undertaking the inter-basin transfer of waters without the express consent of Goa.

''We have all valid points in our favour and we fight till the Centre constitutes a river water dispute tribunal for early settlement,'' Mr Rodrigues added.

Supreme Court bench comprising Justice B N Agrawal, Justice P P Naolekar and Justice Lokeshwar Singh Panta, had issued notices to Karnataka, Maharashtra and the Union Government, on the suit filed by Goa seeking directions from the apex court to set up a water tribunal to settle the dispute between the three states. The notices are returnable by October 19,2006.

Goa, in its plaint, alleged that the project contemplated by Karnataka, if not stopped, would seriously affect their right to life and livelihood and sustenance of the fragile environment, economy and trouble free functioning of the Goa harbour.

Goa has the benefit of only one river, Mandovi while Karnataka has the benefit of many major rivers such as Krishna, Cauvery and Godavari.

Counsel for Goa also contended that abstraction of water by Karnataka, would deprive the people of Goa of drinking water, consequently affecting their right to life, guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution.

The project, undertaken by Karnataka is aimed at transfering water outside the basin, which is clearly contrary to the national water policy as it would result in the flow of the river being curtailed, hampered or stopped he added.

Goa has been requesting the Central Government to constitute a Mandovi River Water Disputes Tribunal under the Interstate River Water Disputes Act, 1956 and to refer the complaint dated July 9, 2002 to the said Tribunal for adjudication.

When Goa made several representations to the Union Government including the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Water Resources put in abeyance the 'in principle clearance ' given to the disputed project. Goa has expressed apprehension that the Union Government may withdraw the order of withholding in abeyance.

The matter will now come up for hearing on Oct 19.

UNI