Bengaluru: Before going ahead with the water diversion project across the Mahadayi river, Karnataka will need to get the necessary permissions from the Central government after completion of a detailed project report, the Supreme Court clarified on Monday.
The apex court, however, did not specifically restrain the southern state from seeking necessary permissions required for the project, which the Goa government had prayed for in its appeal filed last month.
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said the state government would file a contempt petition in the SC if Karnataka attempts to carry out illegal construction or diversion of water until the final verdict which is expected to take place in August this year.
The appeal had sought directions from the top court to restrain Karnakata from seeking permissions required to construct the Kalasa-Banduri water project across the Mahadayi river in order to divert the flow to the water deficit basin of the Malaprabha river.
The Opposition in Goa has called the development a “blow to Goa” in its ongoing inter-state dispute with Karnataka over the waters of the Mahadayi river.
Soon after the hearing in the top court, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant in a media statement referred to Supreme Court decision, saying it had said that “no work can be started by Karnataka in implementation of the award without all permissions from central government and without preparing DPR”.
“With this… the Supreme Court has said that the apprehension of Goa government on the basis newspaper reports that Karnataka will carry out work does not survive and so the application of Goa Government is not required,” Sawant said.
“In case, Karnataka attempts to carry out illegal construction or diversion of water, the government of Goa shall file a contempt petition before the Supreme Court of India,” the Chief Minister also said.
