Bengaluru: The adverse order of the Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal has created unrest in Mumbai Karnataka but for residents of Kankumbi village in Belagavi district, it has come as a big relief.
The proposed dam of Kalsa Banduri project which was to use Mahadayi water, will submerge agricultural land in Kankumbi.
On July 27, the Mahadayi Tribunal passed an interim order rejecting Karnataka’s plea to lift 7tmc of water from Mahadayi river.
Small dam
If the Tribunal had allowed the utilization of water, the government would have gone ahead and constructed a small dam at Kankumbi.
Sources in the Water Resources Department revealed that the implementation of Kalasa- Banduri nala project will affect a large number of habitats in Kankumbi, Parwad, Kongla, Kirwale, Kabnail, Gavali, Pastoli, Nerse, Jamgaon, Mugwede, Chpoli, Jamgoan, Kavale and surrounding areas and submerge 723 hecters of land in these villages. Kankumbi village along has more than 2,000 habitats.
Even environmentalists fear that there will be large scale deforestation if the Karnataka government implements Kotni Hydroelectric project which it had planned earlier.
Patil team to meet Nariman today
State Water Resources Minister M.B. Patil, Advocate General M.R.Naik, Water Resources department officials, engineers and the Mahadayi Tribunal legal team will meet Supreme Court senior Counsel Fali S. Nariman at his residence in Delhi on Saturday . Mr Patil requested Mr Nariman to file a review petition before the Tribunal under 5(3) of the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, (ISRWD), 1956.
The state can seek a review of the order of the Tribunal under 5(3) of the ISRWD Act. The section says that "If, upon the consideration of the decision of the Tribunal, the Central government or any state government is of the opinion that anything therein contained requires explanation or that guidance is needed upon any point not originally referred to the Tribunal....".
