From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Dec 22: Though Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parikkar wrote to BJP State President B S Yeddyurappa offering to release 7.56 tmcft of water to meet the drinking water needs of the people of drought prone areas of Mumbai-Karnataka on "humanitarian considerations," Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is ready to meet his Goa counterpart at any place and time of his (Parikkar’s) choice "in the interests of the people."
The Goa Chief Minister has in his letter dated December 21 addressed to Yeddyurappa, BJP MP from Shimoga and former Chief Minister, as read out at a party public meeting addressed by him and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Hubballi and released to the media by the BJP, has held that the release of the water on humanitarian considerations was without affecting Goa’s rights under adjudication before the inter-state tribunal on the sharing of Mahadayi water.
Karnataka’s Water Resources Minister M B Patil has in an official press statement on Friday referred to Parikkar’s letter to Yeddyurappa, on December 21 offering Goa Government’s willingness to release 7.56 tmcft of water from Mahadayi river (known as Mandovi in Goa) to meet the drinking water needs of the people of drought prone areas of Mumbai-Karnataka on humanitarian consideration as suggested by the inter-state tribunal adjudicating the issue even though protocol demanded that such a communication must be sent to the State Government.
"However, keeping in mind the interests of the people of the people of region who are suffering due to non-availability of drinking water, the Chief Minister (Siddaramaiah) is willing and ready to participate in any talks without insisting on protocol and prestige on a date and time convenient (to Goa Chief Minister)," Patil said.
The minister, however, has insisted that the meeting or talk must be completed in one sitting and necessary decision on compliance of the Union Government’s "in principle" approval in 2002 for utilizing 7.56 tmcft of water for drinking water purposes so that the water released urgently could be utilized before the onset of the monsoon season.
The minister has also pointed out that Karnataka government and the Chief Minister had been repeatedly demanding a tri-partite meeting involving the Chief Ministers of Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka to be convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi besides writing letters to his Goa counterpart and even the Prime Minister on several occasions. However, there was no response from Parikkar or Modi.
It may be recalled that Karnataka had proposed to utilize its share of Mahadayi water for meeting the drinking water needs and also for irrigation in the drought-prone areas of Mumbai-Karnataka region by proposing to take up the Kalasa-Banduri Nala project, which had been held due to opposition from Goa.