Goa govt team in Delhi to discuss clearance for Kalasa Banduri

A Goa government delegation headed to New Delhi on Thursday to hold talks with the officials of the Union Environment Ministry over the environment clearance (EC) granted to Karnataka for the Kalasa Banduri project on the Mahadayi river.

An official from the Goa Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said the delegation comprising Principal Secretary B Krishnamurthy, state Water Resources Department Secretary and others left for Delhi.

"They will hold talks about the EC granted by the Union Environment Ministry to Karnataka for Kalsa Banduri project on the Mahadayi river," the official said.

The delegation will meet officials of the Environment Ministry and report back to Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.

Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) Prakash Javadekar had announced on Wednesday the grant of EC for the project.

"On the follow up of my cabinet colleague @JoshiPralhad (Union Mines Minister), Kalasa Banduri drinking water project in Karnataka has been granted environmental approval," the minister tweeted.

The Goa CM had said his government was not aware that clerance had been granted.

In August last year, the Mhadei Water Dispute Tribunal (MWDT) hearing the two-decade long dispute among three riparian states of Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra over sharing of water from the Mahadayi river, in its award had allotted 13.42 TMC (including 3.9 TMC for diversion into the depleted Malaprabha river basin) from the Mhadei river basin to Karnataka.

Maharashtra was allotted 1.33 TMC.

Both Goa and Karnataka have filed petitions in the Supreme Court challenging the tribunal award.