Union minister Bhupender Yadav refuses to comment on Mhadei issue

How can I comment without studying it the minister said.Earlier in the day, the opposition Congress demanded that Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant condemn recent remarks of Union Home Minister Amit Shah where he said the BJP had resolved the Mhadei river dispute and given water to Karnataka.Following Shahs comments, Opposition parties in Goa demanded Sawants resignation for not taking a stand over the issue.

Union Minister Bhupender Yadav on Saturday refused to comment on the issue of diversion of water to Karnataka from the Mhadei river which flows through Goa, saying he is not an expert on the matter. Talking to reporters here, the Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change said that Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, who holds the charge of Jal Shakti ministry, would be able to comment on the issue.

Goa and neighbouring Karnataka -- both currently ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party -- have had a long-standing dispute over the diversion of water from the Mhadei river through the construction of dams on its tributaries Kalasa and Banduri.

The Union government recently approved the Detailed Project Report (DPR) submitted by Karnataka for the proposed construction of the two dams. The Goa government contends that Karnataka cannot divert water from the river as it passes through the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary, located downstream in North Goa. When pointed out that the issue also concerns the Environment Ministry, Yadav said he would comment after studying the opinions of experts when the matter comes to him for environmental clearances.

"I am not a scientific expert to comment on it. How can I comment without studying it?" the minister said.

Earlier in the day, the opposition Congress demanded that Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant condemn recent remarks of Union Home Minister Amit Shah where he said the BJP had resolved the Mhadei river dispute and given water to Karnataka.

Following Shah's comments, Opposition parties in Goa demanded Sawant's resignation for ''not taking a stand'' over the issue.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)