PANAJI: Despite reservations voiced by the opposition parties, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar has decided to meet his counterparts from Maharashtra and Karnataka over the issue of Mhadei river water but has simultaneously said that he will protect the interests of Goa at all costs.
Speaking to media after chairing the all-party meet at the Secretariat in Porvorim on Monday, Parsekar said, “I will be attending the meeting with chief ministers from Maharashtra and Karnataka on Mhadei water diversion issue. It is not proper to refuse the tribunal’s (Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal) suggestion that we should meet and try to find an amicable solution.”
Parsekar said that during the meeting, the opposition parties expressed reservations over his attendance at the chief ministers’ meet.
“All the participants at the meeting were unanimous in saying that we should not waste time in discussion with the neighbouring states, as it will affect the pace of the case,” he said. However, he said that it is not fair to refuse to meet the chief ministers of the states of our own country.
Refusing to comment on whether he would look forward to an amicable solution to the issue, Parsekar said, “Whenever it is called for, I will attend the meeting to respect the sentiments of the tribunal, but I will ensure that the interest of the state is not Expressing the opposition’s reservation, Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Luizinho Faleiro said, “We requested him not to go, but even if he is going, he should ensure that the interest of the state is protected. Everybody felt that the Chief Minister should not go.”
Stating that Karnataka has shown scant respect for law, Faleiro said, “They have gone ahead with the construction of the canal to divert the Mhadei river water in their territory. To hold meeting with their chief minister when the case is pending before the tribunal will be of no use,” he said. He further said, “For us, it is a question of survival. Mhadei is the lifeline of Goa. We have been pushed to the wall by Karnataka. Besides the tribunal, Goa should take up the matter with the United Nations, National Green Tribunal and Supreme Court.”
The meet was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Francis D’Souza, Union Minister of State for AYUSH (Independent Charge) Shripad Naik, South Goa MP Narendra Sawaikar, WRD Minister Dayanand Mandrekar, PWD Minister Ramakrishna Dhavalikar, state BJP president Vinay Tendulkar, GPCC president Luizinho Faleiro, state Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Jose Philip D’Souza, Goa Forward Party president Prabhakar Timble, MLA Digambar Kamat, Additional Solicitor General of India, who represents Goa before the tribunal, Atmaram Nadkarni, Mhadei Bachao Abhiyan (MBA) president Nirmala Sawant, chief secretary R K Srivastava, WRD chief engineer Sandeep Nadkarni and others.