CM wants Kalsa work stopped, tells CS to write to K'taka govt

| JANUARY 13, 2018, 02:29 AM IST

# Goa team confirms work on nallah
# Govt to appraise Mhadei Tribunal

the goan I network
PANAJI/VALPOI
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has directed the Chief Secretary to write to Karnataka asking them to immediately stop the work of bund at Kalsa.
"Chief Minister directed Goa Chief Secretary to take up the matter of bund construction activity at Kalsa-Bhandura with Chief Secretary of Karnataka and ask him to stop the construction work immediately", tweeted CMO Goa.
Nonetheless, the State Government has also decided to appraise the Mhadei Water Disputes Tribunal about the construction work restarted by Karnataka of head regulator on the Kalsa nallah.
Following media reports over construction work by Karnataka, Minister of Water Resources Vinoda Paliencar sent a team of WRD engineers to conduct an inspection of the site.
Upon return of the inspection team, Paliencar stated: "Karnataka has started the construction of head regulator and allied work on the Kalsa nallah in total disregard of the order of the Tribunal and Supreme court directives. A team of engineers from WRD visited the site and confirmed the same with photographs. Government of Goa is seized with the issue and letters will be sent to Karnataka Government raising the issue. We will also take it up with the Mhadei Tribunal."
The Karnataka Neeravari Nigam has restarted the construction work on the Kalsa dam even though the matter is sub-judice. The Karnataka government has started diverting water by raising mud embankment near inspection bungalow at Kankumbi which has affected the Surla waterfall.
The WRD team found that a mud embankment was raised behind the inspection bungalow in Kankumbi on the southern side of Sakhali-Belagavi highway to divert water in Malaprabha River. "Photographs and video clips were taken as a part of evidence which will be submitted to Adv Atmaram Nadkarni," a source said.
Work on the project to divert water from Mhadei tributaries into Malaprabha River started in October 2006. Earlier, massive excavation had partly obstructed the flow of the Kalsa nallah. In the past, contractor even used pumps to release stagnant water, but this is the first time that the tributaries have been totally blocked, sources informed.
It may be recalled that several environmentalists and NGOs had raised serious concerns after Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar wrote to Karnataka BJP State President B S Yeddyurappa over willingness to hold bilateral talks with Karnataka over sharing Mhadei water for drinking purpose.

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