Karnataka's Kalasa Banduri project to get budget boost after SC rejects Goa's plea

Following the Supreme Court’s dismissal of the plea of Goa government against the Kalasa Banduri project, the Karnataka government is all set to allocate funds for the project in the upcoming state budget on March 5. The long-awaited project aims to lift water from Goa’s Mahadayi river and supply it to the parched districts of North Karnataka.

While dismissing the Goa government’s plea against the project on Monday (March 2), the Supreme Court clarified that the interim order dated with regard to the Mahadayi river water diversion continues to be in operation.

As per the 2014 order, Karnataka is allowed to divert 1.72 TMC water from Mahadayi river through Kalasa Nala into Malaprabha river after getting all the requisite permissions from the Centre.

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The Centre had last month notified the Mahadayi inter-state water dispute tribunal award. While Karnataka’s minister for water resources Ramesh Jarkiholi sought the government to allocate at least ₹200 crore for the project, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi who hails from North Karnataka, requested Karnataka Chief Minister Yediyurappa to allocate ₹400-500 crore for the project.

“We are confident of our share of water for drinking and irrigation. We will resume the work which was halted after Goa challenged in SC,” the chief minister said.

When the project was envisioned in 2000, the estimated cost as per the tribunal report, was pegged at ₹94 crore (Kalasa Nala was ₹44.78 crore and Banduri Nala Rs ₹49.2 crore). However, with delay in implementation because of legal hurdles, the project cost, after two decades, is now estimated to cross ₹1,600 crore, say experts.

Last year, the he Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal allocated 13.42 tmcft of river water to Karnataka for irrigation and drinking water supply. The water is to be supplied to villages across Belagavi, Bagalkot, Dharwad and Gadad districts.

Of the said quantum allocated, about 60 per cent of the water will be utilised for hydro power generation and the rest for drinking water purposes.

Ashok Chandargi, the social activist who has been in the forefront in a fight against Goa to demand the required water, welcomed the project and said the Goa government should now stop bringing any obstacles in the way of Karnataka.

“All the stakeholders in Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra must work together and work in the interest of North Karnataka people,” he said.

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Meanwhile, the opposition parties in Goa lashed out at the BJP-led government for downplaying the concerns of people of the state and paving way for Karnataka to go ahead with the river diversion.

Opposition leader Digambar Kamat took to Twitter to express his discontentment.

After the Tribunal notification, Kamat has said they will intensify people’s agitation against the “insensitive” government in the state.