PANJIM: After Pernem and Tiswadi, the activists under the banner ‘Save Mhadei Save Tiger’ have decided to call on all 35 panchayats from Bardez taluka requesting them to pass a resolution to declare Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary as a tiger reserve.
Addressing a press conference, activist Rajan Ghate said that declaring Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary as a tiger reserve will give a big boost to the State's fight against Karnataka’s Mhadei River diversion plan.
“If we declare Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary as a tiger reserve, our Mhadei River diversion case will become strong in the Supreme Court,” he said.
Ghate said that under the ‘Save Mhadei Save Tiger’ initiative, it has been decided to go to all the panchayats, PTAs, religious places, NGOs, sports clubs, etc, and urge them to adopt resolutions to declare Mhadei as a tiger reserve.
Shashank Narvekar, a councillor, said that an awareness drive in the form of a bike rally will be held in Bardez taluka from May 17 to 19 covering all 35 panchayats and six constituencies.
He said that under 73rd and 74th Constitutional amendments, local bodies are given power to recommend to the government and the government has to abide by it.
He said that people will have to rise up to protect river Mhadei and also tigers. “There is a lack of awareness among people with regards to Mhadei river diversion and its impact on the State,” he said.
The activists have already called upon all the panchayats and municipal areas in Tiswadi and Pernem talukas.
Cong terms CM a ‘habitual liar’ for his Mhadei Tribunal claim
PANJIM: Calling Chief Minister Pramod Sawant a ‘habitual liar’ for claiming that the Mhadei Water Disputes Tribunal was constituted during his tenure and demanded to know why Sawant stopped short from taking credit for the approval given to the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of Kalasa-Bhandura dams submitted by Karnataka.
Reacting to the Chief Minister’s statement during a function on Sunday that Mhadei water is not diverted by Karnataka and all major policy decisions such as formation of Mhadei Water Disputes Tribunal was done during his tenure, Goa Congress general secretary Adv Shriniwas Khalap claimed that the Mhadei Water Disputes Tribunal was notified by then Congress-led UPA government under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on November 16, 2010, when Sawant was not even an MLA.
“Why the publicity-hungry Chief Minister Pramod Sawant stopped short from taking credit for the approval given to DPR of Kalasa Bhandura project to divert Mhadei water and betrayal done by BJP governments?” Khalap questioned.
Khalap said, “It is only after the BJP government came to power in Goa in 2012 and at the Centre in 2014 that the murder of our lifeline Mother Mhadei happened.
It all started when then Chief Minister late Manohar Parrikar wrote to then Karnataka BJP president B S Yediyurappa on December 21, 2017 compromising Goa’s interest on Mhadei.
On October 17, 2019, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) granted Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) clearance to Karnataka for Kalasa-Bhandura project. On December 24, 2019, then Union Minister Prakash Javadekar wrote to then Karnataka Minister for Home Affairs Basavaraj Bommai informing him that the EIA notification is not kept in abeyance and Karnataka can start the work of Kalasa-Bhandura project, Khalap pointed out.
The above facts makes it loud and clear that “Murder of Mother Mhadei” was systematically planned and executed by the BJP governments at the Centre, Karnataka and Goa for political gains. Chief Minister Sawant also failed to react to Home Minister Amit Shah’s speech at Belagavi claiming that the Mhadei dispute was resolved with the approval of Goa Chief Minister, Khalap said.