State to move SC over Krishna tribunal order

K'taka allowed to raise Almatti dam height, but cannot use excess water

The State government is neither under illusion that it has got justice from the Krishna Water Dispute Tribunal II nor is it in victory celebration mode, the Assembly was told on Monday. On the contrary, it is planning to file a petition before the Supreme Court to review the clarificatory order of the tribunal issued last Friday.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Major Irrigation Minister M B Patil told the Assembly on Monday that the tribunal order was being studied by legal experts. The technical flaws in the report are also being looked into. The government will hold a meeting with leaders of all political parties once the review report is ready, so that an action plan can be chalked out to protect the interests of the State in sharing the Krishna river water.

Siddaramaiah said the government, at this juncture, cannot make its stand clear on different aspects of the tribunal’s order as the clarificatory order is about 400 pages. The issue will not be politicised, he added, when the Opposition party members demanded a debate on the tribunal order.

Once Patil read out the statement on the tribunal order, Opposition leaders Basavaraj Bommai, Jagadish Shettar, H D Kumaraswamy, B S Yeddyurappa and Basavaraj Rayareddy (Congress) vehemently argued that the tribunal order had not given justice to the State. The tribunal has not explained the competent authority before which the State can seek permission for using the excess water.

Bommai said the order will have a negative impact on the projects already taken up. Though the height of the dam is allowed to be increased by Karnataka, only Andhra Pradesh has been allowed to use the excess water. There is no need to rejoice over the order, he said.

Kumaraswamy said that like in the Cauvery issue, even in the Krishna river case, the State is facing injustice, while Yeddyurappa said that like Andhra Pradesh, the state should have moved the court immediately. The minister should not even have made the statement on the issue, he said.

Minister H K Patil said that the State had sought 12 clarifications from the tribunal. It is not rejoicing that it has received justice, he said. The House will be debating the order again.