The Goa government on Tuesday has filed a contempt petition in the Supreme Court against Karnataka for illegal diversion of water from the Mahadayi river, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said.
“Contempt Petition has been filed in the Hon'ble Supreme Court today against Karnataka for illegal diversion of #Madhei water. We will continue to fight for our right,” Sawant tweeted.
On Monday, the Chief Minister had said that the state government had evidence collected by his officials related to the illegal diversion of water from the inter-state river basin via the Kalasa-Bhandura canal, would be part of the contempt petition.
"We are filing a contempt petition with evidence to show how they have diverted water. There is no pressure on us from the Centre. There will be no injustice on Goa from the Centre. For me the Mahadayi (Madhei in Goa) is not a political issue, it is an issue linked to my heart," Sawant had said on Monday.
A special leave petition (SLP) filed by the state government on the same issue is already pending before the apex court. The SLP has challenged the award of the Mahadayi Interstate Water Dispute Tribunal, which allowed Karnataka to divert 13.42 TMC water from the river basin.
Sawant has said that the contents of the award were "damaging to Goa".
Goa and Karnataka are battling out a two decade-long dispute over the sharing of the Mahadayi river in the Supreme Court, after both parties expressed reservations about the award by the Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal in 2018.
Goa has also opposed the diversion of water from the Mahadayi river basin through the Kalasa-Bhandura project claiming it would cause “ecological devastation” in Goa.
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