The Kanakumbi is located in Kalasa Nala, a tributary of the Mahadayi River in the Kanakavi region of Karnataka. Goa and Maharashtra are other states that own shares in the river. |Picture source: Badiger PK
The Farmers Association condemned the union government for extending the term of the Mahadaya Water Dispute Tribunal (MWDT) by six months, which was unnecessary.
“It’s time for the court to get a final ruling. The court was established 15 years ago. People in northern Karnataka have been waiting. The central government should ensure that the court releases its decision immediately and implements it as soon as possible.”
Krishik Samaj leader Sidagouda Modagi said farmers in Bellagave are fighting the decision of the Karnataka government to demand the supply of Ghataprabha river water from the Sidkar Dam to the Dharwad industrial area. “We hope that the Mahadaya issue can be resolved as soon as possible so that Hubballi-Dharwad and the surrounding areas can be self-sufficient in the water without having to rely on Bellagarve to supply water,” he said.
Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha leader Prakash Naik said farmers in northern Karnataka were tired of waiting for their share of Mahadayi Water. “We have always hoped that once the center approves our plan, the state government will work on the Karasa and Bando Nara projects. But that doesn’t seem to happen. Now that the BJP is in power in the centers of Goa and Maharashtra, it should work with the Karnataka government to ensure that the dispute ends and finds a solution that everyone can accept,” he said.
The Central Committee of the Kannada State Organization has called on the Karnataka government to appoint a senior minister to deal with all interstate disputes on land and rivers.
“In the first Siddaramaiah government, HK Patil was appointed as the minister for such matters. All Kannada organizations worked with him. We submitted all relevant documents on the border and river disputes to him. He coordinated with senior officials in Bangalore and our legal team in New Delhi. We requested that he be appointed again,” said Ashok Chandaragi, convener of the committee. He also demanded the reconstruction of the national border and river dispute committee.
The Tribunal was established in 2010 to resolve inter-state disputes and to decide the share of all riparian states in Maharashtra and Karnataka, which has seen multiple expansions. The current extension is said to be based on the situation in which all three states dispute their earlier awards.
This is the fifth extended additional report by the court. Officials from Karnataka irrigation department said the court had filed a proposal to Jal Shakti’s ministry to submit a further report, but had been submitted for six months.
publishing – February 27, 2025, 4:22 pm IST
