Mahadayi: SC agrees to give urgent hearing to Goa's plea

The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to take up an urgent hearing of the Goa government’s plea to restrain Karnataka from implementing the Mahadayi diversion project based on the Central Water Commission's latest approval.

Senior advocate Venkatesh Dhond, representing Goa, mentioned before Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud-headed bench saying, “There is an issue of diversion of the water of tributaries near Mahadayi wildlife sanctuary in Goa.”

The CJI said the matter is already listed for hearing on February 13. “Since I cannot hear, the matter would be posted before another bench,” he said.

On this, the Goa counsel said that diversion will happen before February 13 and the Karnataka chief minister had spoken about it.

The bench then agreed to list the matter before February 13. The Goa government had challenged the Central Water Commission’s (CWC) nod to the Karnataka government’s revised detailed project report (DPR) for Mahadayi diversion scheme.

The Karnataka government last year submitted a revised proposal on the Mahadayi project which involved diversion of river water through Kalasa and Banduri Nala. The project received approval from the Central Water Commission recently.

The project proposes to supply drinking water to parched areas of Belagavi, Hubballi-Dharwad and surrounding areas.

However, Goa has been opposing the project saying diversion of river water would dry up Mahadayi (also called Mandovi) river, the lifeline of the state.