Karnataka, Goa CMs should talk to resolve Mahadayi dispute: Union minister Pralhad Joshi
Panaji: Union minister Pralhad Joshi on Monday said the chief ministers of Karnataka and Goa should sit and negotiate to resolve the Mahadayi water dispute issue.
Karnataka and Goa have been locked in a bitter battle over sharing of water of the Mahadayi river, which originates at Belagavi in the southern state.
When asked about the dispute, Joshi said the Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal has already given its order, but governments of both the states are unhappy and have moved the Supreme Court to challenge it.
"That's why I said it is better that the chief ministers concerned sit and talk, and try to resolve the issue. I have requested the Karnataka CM and will also request the Goa CM to have a negotiated settlement," he told reporters here.
The Union parliamentary affairs, coal and mines minister was addressing the media persons to inform about some of the bold decisions taken by the BJP-led NDA government during its last 100 days in office.
Asked if Karnataka has started construction of a dam on the river, Joshi said there is no question of any state carrying out such work.
"Since the matter is in the tribunal, no government can do anything on that and no government is allowed to violate law of the land, and nobody is doing that...no work is going on as far as my knowledge goes," the Lok Sabha member from Dharwad in Karnataka said.
In August last year, the tribunal, hearing the dispute among three riparian states of Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra over sharing of water from the river, allotted 13.42 TMC (including 3.9 TMC for diversion into the depleted Malaprabha river basin) from the Mahadayi river basin to Karnataka, while Maharashtra was allotted 1.33 TMC.
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant in July this year said his government has already filed a disobedience application against Karnataka before the tribunal for injunction by way of diverting the Mahadayi river water to the Malaprabha basin.
A contempt petition has also been filed before the Supreme Court against Karnataka's violation, he said.
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Private bus operators in Karnataka to hike fares by 20-30 pc after fuel price rise
Bengaluru (PTI): In the wake of the hike in fuel prices, private bus operators have decided to increase fares by 20-30 per cent, depending on the route, effective from Friday midnight.
They have also called for government subsidies, a reduction in cess, and lower road taxes to improve the situation.
"The situation for bus owners in the state is already distressing due to high road tax and the impact of the Shakti scheme (free bus travel for women in government buses). On top of this, fuel prices have increased," Karnataka State Bus Owners’ Association President S Nataraj Sharma said.
"This will impose a burden of Rs 15,000 per vehicle per month on bus owners. If an owner has three buses, the burden will be Rs 45,000 to Rs 50,000 per month," he added.
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Speaking to reporters, he said the situation has made it inevitable for owners to increase fares by 20-30 per cent, depending on the route, under current conditions.
The increase may be roughly Rs 200 per seat, he added.
"For example, the current bus fare from Bengaluru to Belagavi is around Rs 1,000–Rs 1,200, which is likely to rise to Rs 1,350–Rs 1,400. Similarly, fares from Bengaluru to Mangaluru or Udupi currently range from Rs 900–Rs 1,000 and are expected to go up to Rs 1,100–Rs 1,200," he said.
Petrol and diesel prices were each hiked by Rs 3 per litre on Friday, the first rate increase in more than four years, amid mounting losses for fuel retailers due to surging global crude prices in the wake of the West Asia conflict.
The increase comes a couple of weeks after the Assembly elections concluded in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Puducherry.
