Bengaluru, 19 sept

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has said State will withhold its approval to Goa-Tamnar transmission project, which will be passing through ecologically sensitive Western Ghats region, after Goa objected to its Kalasa-Bandhuri Nala Diversion project.

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, the Chief Minister urged Modi to intervene and ensure that the Kalasa project receives the necessary wildlife clearances at the earliest. The project, which is crucial for fulfilling the drinking water needs of North Karnataka, has been pending for an unusually long time for wildlife clearance from Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Goa Chief Wildlife Warden has also passed an illegal order restraining Karnataka from undertaking any activities in it, Siddaramaiah said.

In view of the objections raised by Goa to the legitimate and long-pending drinking water project with minimum disruption to wildlife, and the consequent litigation that Karnataka has been forced into, the State has no choice but to reconsider its decision on clearance to the Goa-Tamner power Line, he stated in his letter.

He said the Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal Award was pronounced on 14 August, 2018 and published in the Gazette of India on 27 February, 2020. "Total allocation made to Karnataka is 13.42 TMC, of which 3.9 TMC of water is for diversion for drinking water purposes (1.72 TMC from Kalasa Nala and 2.18 TMC from Bandura Nala). The State government has submitted a modified pre-feasibility report of Kalasa & Bandhuri Nala Diversion scheme (Lift schemes) to CWC on 16 June, 2022 for clearances," the CM said.  —PTI