No compromise on Mhadei issue, Goa is on right track: CM

Panaji, Oct 7 Goa will not compromise on the ongoing Mhadei river water sharing row with Karnataka and the state is on the right track, especially with the filing of a contempt petition against the neighbouring state for violation of apex court's orders, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Wednesday.

"There is no compromise. We are strong in that regard. We have taken a stand. We are very much clear. We have filed a contempt petition. We are strong on that and we will follow the matter in the Supreme Court. We are on the right track," Sawant said.

The Chief Minister was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a function organised by a government corporation in Panaji.

The state government on Tuesday filed the contempt petition against Karnataka in the apex court alleging that the southern state is illegally diverting water from the Mhadei river basin via the newly constructed Kalasa-Banduri canal, despite a special leave petition filed by the Goa government in the apex court vis a vis the contentious issue.

The SLP, which was filed in July last year, also challenged the Mhadei Water Dispute Tribunal award in 2018, which allowed Karnataka to divert 13.42 TMC water from the river basin.

The SLP had also said that Karnataka was diverting more water than what was awarded.

Mhadei also known as the Mandovi river in Goa and Mahadayi in Karnataka, is considered as a lifeline in the northern parts of Goa. It originates in Karnataka and meets the Arabian Sea in Panaji in Goa, while briefly flowing through Maharashtra.

While the river runs 28.8 km in Karnataka, it is over 50 km in length in the state Goa. Goa, Karnataka are battling out a two decade-long dispute over the sharing of the Mhadei waters.

( With inputs from IANS )