TRIBUNAL FORMED FOR MADEI WATER DISPUTE

PANJIM: After a long delay, the Union government finally issued a notification constituting a tribunal consisting of three judges to adjudicate the dispute between Goa and Karnataka over diversion of water from the Madei basin.

The Madei Water Disputes Tribunal would be headed by sitting Supreme Court judge, Mr Justice J M Panchal and Mr Justice Viney Mittal of the Madhya Pradesh High Court and a former judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, Mr Justice P S Narayana, as members.

The Chief Minister, Mr Digambar Kamat confirmed that the notification constituting the tribunal was issued by the Union government and expressed happiness over the matter, which he said would help the state to seek redressal to its grievances.  The headquarters of the tribunal would be at Delhi. The notification to this effect was issued on 19th November.

The Goa government had been relentlessly pressing for constitution of the tribunal and the request was first sent way back in July 2002 to the central government under section 3 of the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956 to resolve dispute on water sharing between the state and Karnataka. The efforts by the Union water resources ministry to resolve the dispute through negotiations did not succeed. (NT)