Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar on Wednesday urged the Karnataka government to quickly crackdown on culprits who set a state corporation bus afire in Hubli district over a prolonged water dispute between the two states.Parsekar warned that more Kannadigas lived in Goa, than Goans in Karnataka, while also advising the people in Goa not to react to the bus arson in a harsh manner."We may have few people in Karnataka, but hundreds of people from Karnataka are coming here and earning their daily bread. We have a large number of vehicles from Karnataka. Is it expected that we reply to that. I request citizens of the state to not adopt such measures," Parsekar said.In the incident at Hubli, miscreants torched the Kadamba Transport Corporation bus, which was to leave for Goa at 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
Goa and Karnataka are currently battling out a dispute over the waters of the Mhadei river before a central tribunal. Mhadei, also known as the Mandovi river, is known as the lifeline of the northern parts of the state. It originates in Karnataka and meets the Arabian Sea in Panaji in Goa. While the river traverses 28.8 km in Karnataka, it is 81.2 km in length in Goa.Karnataka plans to construct seven dams on the river aimed at diverting the waters into its water-starved Malaprabha basin."I understand there could be some disputes and all these disputes are to be solved within the framework of law and constitution. We are not enemies. We have to plead our cases at the inter-state tribunal and the outcome of the tribunal should be binding on us," Parsekar said.