Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday tried to wash his hands off the controversy on releasing the Cauvery river water to Tamil Nadu, saying that the decision was taken by the legal team headed by Fali S Nariman.
“The legal team was authorised to take an appropriate decision (on whether to release water) based on the circumstances. ‘The decision to authorise the legal team was taken at the all-party meeting. Moreover, it has been the practice for many years to authorise the legal team to take the decision on releasing water, while arguing the state’s case before the Supreme Court,” he told reporters.
The chief minister, in the same breath, defended Nariman, who has come under criticism from various quarters. “He (Nariman) has been representing Karnataka in the Supreme Court for the last 32 years. He has fought for the state’s interest on the river water sharing issues,” he stated.
Siddaramaiah reiterated that Cauvery water had been released to Tamil Nadu on many occasions in the past, based on the direction of the Supreme Court. Siddaramaiah said the state’s main petition challenging the final award of the Cauvery River Water Disputes Tribunal is coming up for hearing on October 18. It is important for the state to get a favourable verdict in the main petition. Hence, the legal team took the decision of making a submission on releasing 10,000 cusecs of water for six days before the Supreme Court, he added.
Earlier, AICC general secretary Digvijaya Singh said the Congress would stand by the Karnataka government on the Cauvery issue. “The government didn’t have any option, but to release the water after the Supreme Court order. The chief minister had taken Opposition parties into confidence on the issue,” he added.
Assures of water supply
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has said that his government will ensure supply of drinking water to Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mandya and other towns in the Cauvery basin till June next year. Water will also be supplied to the standing crops spread over 2.9 lakh acres, he said. Currently, the state has 47 tmcft of water in four reservoirs of the Cauvery river. About 28 tmcft is required for drinking purposes, while about 47 tmcft is required for irrigation. The government has drawn up a plan to supply water based on the average yield expected till end of May next year.
