Panaji (PTI) : Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar today ruled out any “out of court settlement” with neighbouring Karnataka over the Mhadei (Mandovi) river dispute.
“I am not in favour of the out of court settlement with Karnataka. We will fight the issue in the tribunal (Mhadei Water Dispute Tribunal),” Parsekar said, a day after Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar suggested the possibility of arriving at a settlement between two states.
“If the Defence Minister wants to take up the issue (out of court) I have no issue, but I am not in favour of it,” the CM told reporters.
Karnataka has proposed six dams across river Mhadei, which originates in its jurisdiction, which Goa has opposed, saying the move will adversely affect ecology of the coastal state.
Parrikar, who was in Dharwad yesterday to participate in an international conference on ‘Enabling Make in India’, had said that the out of court settlement on the contentious issue can be considered.
However, Parsekar said that Parrikar did not discuss the issue with him when he was in Goa yesterday.
The issue is currently heard by Mhadei Water Dispute Tribunal.
