Use Mahadayi water for twin cities first: Sobaradamath

HUBBALLI: The State Government should immediately utilise the 3.9 TMC of water allocated to Karnataka under the Mahadayi project to meet the drinking water requirements of Hubballi-Dharwad, said Raita Sena Karnataka State president Veeresh Sobaradamath.

Speaking to reporters, he urged the government to resolve the legal hurdles delaying the project and consider appointing a more effective legal team to represent Karnataka in the Mahadayi water dispute.

He announced that a meeting would be held on November 19 at 11 am at Sawai Gandharva Hall in Deshpande Nagar to discuss the project and the drinking water crisis. All 82 members of the Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation, concerned officials and farmers have been invited. Officials have been asked to bring relevant documents and provide detailed information.

Demand to change legal team

Sobaradamath said he had repeatedly requested the Chief Minister to review Karnataka’s legal team, led by senior advocate Mohan Katarki. He argued that the government should first focus on utilising the water already allocated to the State for drinking purposes before pursuing additional demands.

He said the Mahadayi Tribunal’s award had been accepted by the concerned States, but Goa’s petition in the Supreme Court and pending environmental and wildlife clearances had affected the project’s progress.

Mahadayi activist Guru Rayanagoudar demanded that officials present detailed accounts of water drawn from the Malaprabha reservoir, its utilisation, areas covered under the 24x7 water supply scheme, and revenue collected from domestic and industrial consumers.

He said around 100 farmers were expected to attend the November 19 meeting. If Corporation members failed to participate, a coordination committee would decide the next course of action. He urged elected representatives to take responsibility for resolving the drinking water crisis.