Amid a tussle over border issue, another flashpoint emerged between Maharashtra and Karnataka as state Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said he would ask Bommai government to stop the work of raising the height of Alamaty dam on the Krishna river till an ongoing study to assess its flood impact in Sangli and Kolhapur is completed.
Replying to a question in the state Assembly on Wednesday, Fadnavis said if the Karnataka government does not heed Maharashtra’s request, it will approach the Supreme Court.
The state government had appointed a panel under the chairmanship of Water Resources Department’s former principal secretary Nandkumar Wadnera to study the impact of Karnataka raising the height to 524 metres and its effect on flooding in Kolhapur and Sangli, Fadnavis said.
The study panel was set up after the devastating floods of 2019 in the two Maharashtra districts.
The Wadnera report, submitted on May 27, 2020, said there would be no adverse impact in Kolhapur and Sangli if the height of the dams of Alamaty and Hippargi on the Krishna was raised.
However, in September 2021, Wadnera wrote to then chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, stating that when the report was prepared, there was no information about check dams in Karnataka which could lead to flooding in Kolhapur and Sangli.
“We will bring this to the notice of the Supreme Court and request Karnataka to stop the work till the time our study is not over, as it can have a very adverse impact on Maharashtra. If they don’t agree, then, parallelly, we will approach the Supreme Court to stop the work,” Fadnavis said.
Karnataka-Maharashtra border row
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, on Saturday, reiterated his position on the border dispute after the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly unanimously passed a resolution on the issue. He asserted that "not an inch of Karnataka will be ceded to Maharashtra" at any cost and that his government is fully committed to protecting every bit of land.
Reacting to the resolution adopted by the Maharashtra Assembly on the border issue, the CM said the resolution of the Maharashtra Assembly did not have any value and they are doing such things since their case pending before the Supreme Court is very weak. Bommai went on to say that the resolution of the Karnataka Assembly is very clear and the state is clear in its stand which is constitutionally and legally valid.
Also Read: 'Not an inch of Karnataka...': CM Bommai reiterates his stance on border dispute with Maharashtra
