State to file plea in SC over TN border survey

The State government will file an original suit in the Supreme Court seeking permission for initiating a survey to demarcate the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu boundary in Hogenakkal.

Water Resources Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who announced this in the Legislative Council on Wednesday, said it was important to demarcate the 67-km boundary, as neither of the states could stake proper claim to the “several islands” along River Cauvery.

Bommai was replying to a query by BJP MLC Ashwathnarayana, in the backdrop of the Hogenakkal drinking water project taken up by Tamil Nadu.

The minister said the State had communicated its objections to the Centre and the Tamil Nadu government regarding the modifications and increase in the scope of the project which proposes to supply drinking water to Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts.

However, there were many unresolved issues, as there was no clarity over the boundary.

Bommai said the State government had repeatedly urged the Centre to take up the joint survey.

“The concurrence of both the states is necessary to initiate the survey. However, due to non-cooperation of Tamil Nadu, the survey has not been taken up,” he said.

The law department had issued orders to the water disputes legal team to take necessary action to file the suit in the apex court, he said.

Ashwathnarayana said the government should strongly oppose the Hogenakkal drinking water project as it would submerge “thousands of acres of forest land in Karnataka”.