Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar has communicated to his two counterparts from Karnataka and Maharashtra that he will no be able to attend the meeting of three Chief Ministers over Mahadayi water dispute, scheduled for Friday in Mumbai, due to some prior engagements.
The meeting was scheduled at the initiative of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah following a suggestion by the Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal, Delhi that the three Chief Ministers try for an amicable solution on the vexed problem between Goa and Maharashtra.
In a letter addressed to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadanvis, Mr. Parsekar has asked to reschedule the meeting as he would not be able to attend the Friday meeting due to some prior engagements.
Sources close to Goa Chief Minister told The Hindu on Thursday that the Chief Minister was out of station on Thursday itself with some family engaments.
The sources, however, emphatically said that it was not true that the Chief Minister would skip the proposed meeting due to pressures from all political parties and civil society organisations not to attend the meeting.
He has made it clear to everybody including at the meeting of all political parties that he would attend the meeting to respect the suggestion of the tribunal, put forward Goa's strong opposing diversion of water and would ensure that Goa’s interest over Mahadayi issue is not compromised in any way, said the source.
On July 27, in its interim order, the tribunal rejected Karnataka's plea to divert 7.56 TMC water from Mahadayi basin to Malprabha basin.
Goa government has consistently rejected Karnataka's pleas to solve the water dispute in a out-of -court settlement and has said it would await the final verdict of the tribunal, instead.
