Goa, Aug. 11 -- The Karnataka Governor has issued a direct notification to acquire9.27 acres of land across four villages in Khanapur talukafor the Bhandura project, part of the larger Kalasa-Banduri water diversion initiative. This project aims to divert water from the Mahadayi (or Mandovi) River basin to supply drinking water to drought-prone districts including Hubballi-Dharwad, Kundgol, and other northern Karnataka areas.

Kalasa-Banduri project has been highly contentious, with environmentalists, religious leaders, and farmers from Karnataka and Goa protesting against it due to fears of ecological harm, particularly to the sensitive Western Ghats and the Bhimgad wildlife sanctuary near Khanapur. Critics warn that diverting tributarie...