Maharashtra restarts dam work on Virdi river

Even as the BJP-led coalition government in Goa has had to battle criticism for going soft on Karnataka over its long-standing dispute over the waters of the Mahadayi river, a fresh controversy erupted on Monday, with media reports about Maharashtra restarting work on the controversial Virdi dam across the Valvanti river.

Reacting to media reports, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Monday said that the Goa government has issued a notice to its counterpart in Maharashtra with regards to restarting of the work on the Virdi dam.

"The Goa government has issued a notice to the Maharashtra government to immediately stop the ongoing works. We have also demanded an inquiry on various approvals obtained by them for the said project," Sawant told reporters.

The Maharashtra government is planning to construct the dam across the Valvanti river at Virdi village in Sindhudurg district, which borders Goa. The dam has been envisioned across the Kattika nullah in Virdi, which is located around four kilometres from Goa's land border.
ends