Karnataka: New twist! Maharashtra mantri links Mahadayi with border row
BELAGAVI: In a move which could trigger more trouble on the issue of sharing water of the river Mahadayi, Maharashtra’s minister of state for home, Deepak Kesarkar, linked this row with the boundary dispute between Karnataka and Maharashtra.
While objecting to release of water to Karnataka, he told a meeting of leaders of Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) the government in the neighbouring state has taken a stand on both Mahadayi and the boundary dispute and therefore more water would not flow in the state. Both these contentious issues have been discussed by ministers of Maharashtra, the minister added.
His statement was made a couple of days after Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis postponed a meeting with his counterparts of Goa and Karnataka to discuss the Mahadayi dispute. The meeting, scheduled to be held in Mumbai earlier this week, was put off at the behest of Mr Laxmikant Parsekar.
While reiterating that Belagavi should merge with Maharashtra, Mr Kesarkar said more documents concerning the border row would be submitted to the Supreme Court shortly.
Meanwhile, leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council, K S Eshwarappa, on Saturday appealed to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to earmark adequate time for an elaborate discussion on Mahadayi drinking project in the winter session of legislature, scheduled to commence in this border city early next month.
He told the media at Vijayapura that Congress leaders were responsible for the dispute to move to the Supreme Court. He alleged that leaders of the ruling party were resorting to politics rather than evolve ways to resolve the dispute.
Mr Eshwarappa said instead of probing scam involving thousands of crores of rupees of Wakf property, the government was going all out to take over Hindu temples and maths.
Living in fear
On visiting Indrapada Hosalli, a village near Kalaburagi which endured tremors in the last two weeks, Mr Eshwarappa said that people in the village were in living in fear and were in dire need of the government's support. The government must rush to the rescue of these people, he added.
