Will attend meet on Mahadayi issue with positive mind: Siddaramaiah

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaih today said he will be meeting his Maharashtra and Goa counterparts on October 21 in Mumbai to discuss the Mahadayi water dispute with a “positive mind” as advocated during an all-party meeting held by him here.

This meeting is being held after the Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal on September 1 asked the concerned states to resolve the water dispute amicably by holding discussions with or without third party mediation.

Ahead of the October 21 meeting, Siddaramaiah today held an all-party meeting to discuss the state's strategy. "All the members who attended today’s meeting have given suggestion, how we should proceed in the negotiation. The suggestion is that we should go the meeting with positive mind," Siddaramaih told reporters after the meeting.

Pointing out that Karnataka has been consistently pressing for an outside tribunal settlement of the issue and had also sought for Prime Minister’s intervention, he said “I’m going with positive mind, keeping in mind the state’s interest.

“In any negotiations the parties concerned cannot be rigid, always give and take will be there.With open mind I’m going,” he added. Siddaramaih also clarified that during the meeting on October 21 the discussion will be on the larger issue of sharing Mahadayi River water.

“We have told the tribunal that according to our requirements we will require 36.558 tmc water. That is our claim. On this basis, keeping in mind our requirements for drinking water, irrigation and power generation I’m going to the meeting with a positive frame of mind,” he said.

Karnataka has for long been advocating an out of court settlement of the issue. Siddaramaiah had even led an all party delegation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his intervention.

Earlier, Goa government had rejected Karnataka's stand, saying the people of the state felt it was more prudent to settle the dispute through the Tribunal. Karnataka government, which has locked horns with the neighboring Goa on the larger issue of sharing Mahadayi River water between both the states, had earlier petitioned the tribunal seeking the release of 7.56 tmcft of water for the Kalasa-Banduri Nala project, but it was rejected in an interim order on July 27.

The Kalasa-Banduri project is being undertaken by Karnataka to improve drinking water supply to the twin cities of Hubballi-Dharwad and the districts of Belagavi and Gadag.