Panaji: The Goa Ministry for Water Resources Development (WRD) on Thursday formed a special team to monitor whether Karnataka or Maharashtra governments continue with the works of building and operating canals along the Mahadayi basin for diversion of water.
The order issued by WRD Minister Vinod Palyekar comprises four officials from his Ministry who have been instructed to visit the site, in the neighbouring states, at least twice every week.
“As directed by the government, a team of engineers is hereby constituted to constantly watch over and monitor periodically, any work, if carried out on the Mahadayi river or its tributaries in Maharashtra as well as Karnataka,” the order said.
Four-member team
The team comprises two engineers, surveyor and a technical assistant, who have been instructed to “instantly report if any construction activity is envisaged or started by Karnataka or Maharashtra in the Mahadayi basin. A fortnightly report would be submitted to the government. The team shall normally visit the sites at least two times every week,” the order signed by the Goa WRD Chief Engineer S.T. Nadkarni noted.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, State-owned Kadamba Transport Corporation suspended all bus services to Karnataka, in wake of the one-day strike by Kannada groups, protesting the Central government’s apathy towards the water dispute.
Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra are currently involved in a dispute in the tribunal over controversial Kalsa-Bhandura dam project across Mhadei river, through which Karnataka aims to divert water from the Mahadayi basin to nearby basin on the Malaprabha river.
