Panaji: Goa Forward Party on Saturday has urged Supreme Court’s intervention after Karnataka officials reportedly stopped Goa counterpart from conducting inspection at proposed dam site on Mahadayi river.
Goa and Karnataka are in a dispute over water share of Mahadayi river. Both the states have filed Special Leave Petition before the Supreme Court in the matter.
GFP President Vijai Sardesai, in a letter written to Chief Justice of India on Saturday, has raised the gross violation and misbehaviour of the Karnataka police force faced by members of the Goan delegation of a joint inspection committee to inspect the Kalasa water diversion project in Karnataka.
Pointing out to the media reports, Sardesai said that certain members of the Karnataka Police force restricted the entry of Goan officers, the technical staff of Goa’s Department of Water Resources from carrying out their inspection ordered by the Supreme Court of ,lndia.
Government of Goa had filed a contempt petition against the Government of Karnataka on the issue of diversion of the river Mahadayi and breach of orders of the Mahadayi Tribunal and the Supreme Court as a result, the apex court on Feb 22, 2021 directed a Joint Inspection Committee consisting of officers from Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka to inspect the Kalasa project and submit a report within four weeks.
“Goan delegation who were part of the joint inspection team were made to wait outside the Kalsa project while the joint inspection was being carried out, and had their lDs confiscated by the Karnataka police,” he said.
Sardesai said that the Goan delegation was exercising its responsibilities prescribed by the apex court, and the behaviour and disrespect they were shown is highly unacceptable.
“By obstructing the Goan delegation from performing and inspecting their due diligence at the Kalsa project, the Government of Karnataka and the Karnataka Police force have violated the Supreme Court’s order and we urge that the apex court look into this matter,” the letter reads.
The party has expressed concern towards the attitude and behaviour of the Karnataka government and its police force on handling critical multi-state issues like the Mahadayi diversion and worry that they may be attempting to circumvent from the due process directed by the Supreme Court.
