PANAJI, May 11 (TOI): Barely four days after Maharashtra government officials point blankly stated that Goa would not get a drop of water from the Virdi Dam, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis tried to downplay the situation saying that the two states would work something out.

"It is not about Goa or Maharashtra, it is a question about the region and we will find a solution that is in the interest of both parties," Fadnavis said.

Goa and Maharashtra have been engaged in a dispute before the water disputes tribunal over the Virdhi dam and the Mhadei irrigation project that Maharashtra is building for irrigation and power generation purposes.

The Mhadei water disputes tribunal in February had ordered Maharashtra to stop work on the Virdi dam but despite assuring that it would do so, Maharashtra has continued the construction work.

Maharashtra has argued before the Mhadei water disputes tribunal that work began after the Goa government gave the all clear to do so and that till 2012 Goa did not protest the construction of the dam. Maharashtra has changed the site without informing Goa and also changed the dam's dimensions.

Fadnavis was speaking at the Women Economic Forum organized at a resort in Panaji. During his speech, Fadnavis claimed that over the next two years Maharashtra's two critical districts, Yavatmal and Osmanabad would be free of farmer suicides. The chief minister went on to assure that his government would not be lenient with corruption and those found guilty of being involved in the alleged multi-crore irrigation scam in Maharashtra would be prosecuted.

Fadnavis also stated his intent to do away with the practice of police officials saluting him and has also decided to cut down the size of his convoy.