JOIN USThe Karnataka government has appealed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh not to set up Cauvery Management Board till the Supreme Court disposes of the related civil appeals pending before it.
Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, who was on a visit to Kolar on Wednesday, said according to Inter-State Water Disputes Act, formation of a water management authority is left to the discretion of the Union government. “Formation of the authority is not mandatory. Such a proposal needs to be discussed in Parliament. The delegation of the State government, which met the Prime Minister recently, brought all these issues to his notice. The Prime Minister promised to arrive at a decision considering all these aspects,” Shettar said.
Deputy Chief Minister R Ashoka said Karnataka has suffered grave injustice due to notification of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal’s final award. He said the Centre’s move only reiterated its biased approach to Karnataka.
Speaking in Davangere, the chief minister asserted that the legal team representing the State had put forth Karnataka’s case in the right perspective. He said the apex court has been apprised of the acute water scarcity in Cauvery basin.
BSY blames BJP govt
President of the Karnataka Janata Party B S Yeddyurappa termed the notification of the final award a death knell for farmers in the State. The BJP government and the Congress have failed in convincing the Centre and the apex court about the inability to release water to Tamil Nadu, he said while speaking to the mediapersons in Davangere.
Protest
More than 150 Karnataka Rakshana Vedike activists were taken into preventive custody in Bangalore after they attempted to disrupt train services in protest. The activists tried to stage a protest at the Bengaluru International Airport. T Suneel Kumar, Additional Commissioner (Law and Order) told Deccan Herald more personnel will be deployed on Thursday.