Shivakumar vows to resume Mahadayiwork, dares Goa govt to block it | Bengaluru News
Bengaluru: Deputy CM DK Shivakumar on Thursday announced that Karnataka would resume the long-stalled Kalasa-Banduri project, brushing aside objections from both the Goa govt and the Centre.“We will withdraw our application from the Supreme Court and resume the work. I will see who stops it,” Shivakumar said, responding to Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant’s claim that the Centre would not issue environmental clearance for the project. He also asserted Karnataka’s right over its share of Mahadayi waters and said tenders had already been floated based on the Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal’s verdict.The Kalasa-Banduri project, which involves the construction of two dams across the Kalasa and Banduri tributaries of the Mahadayi river and a canal to carry water to the Malaprabha reservoir, has remained in limbo since 2006-07. The project was first launched during the JD(S)-BJP coalition regime under then CM BS Yeddyurappa and water resources minister KS Eshwarappa, but work was halted after Goa moved the Supreme Court seeking a stay.Shivakumar accused Sawant of disregarding the federal system and also took aim at Karnataka’s MPs for remaining silent. “It is wrong on the part of the state MPs not to raise their voice on this issue. We can’t sell our state just for one MP from Goa. I urge the MPs from the state to put pressure on the Centre,” he said. “This is a matter of self-respect for the state. I will meet all the MPs from the state and seek their support.“Clarifying that his criticism was aimed at the Goa govt and not the Centre, he said: “The union jal shakti minister is impartial on the matter, he won’t do politics on this. I have met him four or five times. The union environment minister will also not do politics on this issue. Both of them support development works. The issue is with Goa.” He further stated that a delegation of Karnataka MPs would soon be formed to meet prime minister Narendra Modi and central ministers.Chief minister Siddaramaiah also launched a scathing attack on the Centre, accusing it of sabotaging the project. “Despite the 2018 tribunal verdict allocating 13.4 tmcft of water to us, the Centre, hand in glove with Goa’s BJP govt, is blocking the implementation of our rightful project. This project will quench the thirst of over 40 lakh people in Belagavi, Dharwad, Gadag, Bagalkot and nearby regions. It is a lifeline, not a bargaining chip. We will fight legally, politically, and morally until Karnataka gets its rightful share,” he wrote on X.——Photo caption: P4-Mahadayi Caught in dispute: The Kalasa-Banduri project, which involves the construction of two dams and a canal, has remained in limbo since 2006-07
