Bengaluru: The state legal team, which is dealing with the inter-state water dispute of sharing of Mahadayi river with Goa, is in the process of identifying issues which went against Karnataka, while disposing of the Interim Application, by the Jutice J N Panchal headed tribunal, seeking interim order to release 7.56 tmc of water from the Mahadayi river to meet the urgent drinking water needs of four northern districts of the state, Water Resources minister M B Patil, said here on Tuesday, August 2.
In an informal chat with the media, the minister said that the Tribunal while disposing off the Karnataka’s petition had touched several issues, which were not raised by the counsels of both the contesting states, including Goa. Referring the observations made by the Tribunal in its interim order on the issues of losing ecological equilibrium, if permission was given to draw water out of the Mahadayi basin, he observed that it not only closes the door for Karnataka to take up any of its drinking water project in future but also affects adversely to the Goa state.
Maintaining that the Tribunal while disposing off the Interim Application, the panel had misunderstood on several issues raised by the Karnataka, he said that, “We are in the process of identifying such grey areas in consultations with both the Legal team, Technical team and also with the experts. We are also working out a strategy to ensure that the interests of the Karnataka state will not suffer”.
Opining that the Tribunal in its interim order had opened up its mindset the minister said that, “It had helped us to read the mind of the tribunal and tackle it accordingly”.
“With the interim order, gone against us, we have decided to work out the future course of our action, very cautiously with a coherent manner, in-coordination with both the technical as well as legal team. We have also decided to add another ring of experts who are dealing with the issues regarding ocean technology along with the forest and environment” he said.
Strongly defending the state government’s decision to go for filing an interim application seeking release of 7.56 tmc of water from the Kalasa and Banduri nala, he said that, “It was a collective decision of all the political parties and experts”.
When replying to questions, the minister said that the doors for amicable settlement still wide open, if the prime minister take an initiative to bring all the three chief ministers of the Mahadayi basin bring to the negotiation table, he said that “Let the prime minister ask the concerned chief minister to come to him after consulting the leaders of political parties of their states”.
He also said that “Let the chief ministers of the concerned states, hold talks with the leaders of the opposition parties before meeting the Prime minister for an out of the tribunal settlement”.
“Our Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will also write another letter to the Prime minister seeking a political solution to the vexed problem” he said.
Dismissing off the demand of the state BJP leaders to make separate efforts to convince the leaders of the Opposition leaders as politically laced one, he said that “it is obvious that chief ministers of the concerned states would attend the PM convened meeting after consulting with the leaders of the opposition parties and other organisations”.
“One should have to rise beyond the political motive and exhibit real concern in seeking to resolve the issue” he said.
Expressing anguish over politicizing the issue, the minister said that, “One should have genuine concern on the plights of the people who are agitating over the demand for water”.
