Mahadayi: 2 Goa MLAs to approach PM for ‘justice’

Questioning Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s resolve to protect Goa’s interest in the dispute with Karnataka over the waters of Mahadayi river, a senior opposition MLA and an MGP MLA on Monday said they would knock on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s doors to plead for his intervention in the contentious issue.

Former DyCM Sudin Dhavalikar also told reporters at a press conference in Panaji, that Sawant’s meeting with Union Minister for Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat was merely an eye-wash and an “election stunt” ahead of the March 22 ZP polls.

“The Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party will write to the prime minister, bringing all the issues related to the Mahadayi case to his notice. The letter will be delivered to PMO by March 15,” Dhavalikar told reporters, adding that Sawant was incapable of tackling the issue. He hoped that Modi would deliver “justice to Goa”.

“Sawant does not want to resolve the issue, but just fool the voters ahead of the elections for petty gains,” Dhavalikar said.

The Sawant-led dispensation has come under severe criticism from all opposition parties, for not doing enough to protect Goa’s interest.

Goa and Karnataka are already battling out the two-decade-long dispute in the Supreme Court after both parties expressed reservations about the award of the Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal in 2018. Goa has also opposed the diversion Mahadayi water through the Kalasa-Banduri project, claiming it will cause “ecological devastation” in Goa.