Apex court order harsh on state, but will obey it: Siddu

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the State has to obey the Supreme Court order to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu though injustice has been rendered to Karnataka.

He said that Karnataka has always faced injustice in the Cauvery issue and the same is continuing. Karnataka had obeyed the Supreme Court order to release water in 1995, 2002 and 2012-13.

“At no point of time any government in the state had defied the court order,” he stressed, indirectly saying that he was doing what his predecessors had done in the time of crisis.
Siddaramaiah was addressing the media along with Home Minister G Parameshwara after the meeting of council of ministers and a meeting of senior Congress leaders here.

The Supreme Court on Monday ordered the state to release 12,000 cusecs of Cauvery water every day to Tamil Nadu until September 20, modifying its previous order that the state has to release 15,000 cusecs until September 16. As per the court’s interim order, an additional 18,000 cusecs of water has to be released to Tamil Nadu. This takes the total quantum of water to be released to 1.68 lakh cusecs from the earlier 1.50 lakh cusecs. Direction to release 18,000 cusecs of additional water is a big blow to Karnataka, he said.

The chief minister said the court order is harsh on the state and it is difficult to follow it. But under the Constitution and in the federal system, it is difficult to set aside a court order. “We have come to the conclusion after lengthy debates both at the council of ministers meeting and a meeting of the party leaders. We have to execute the judicial order,” he said.

Arguing that the court’s interim order of Tuesday is not final on the water sharing issue, Siddaramaiah said that Karnataka’s special leave petition would be heard by the Apex Court on October 18.

The petition has challenged the final order of the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal, issued in February 2007 on water sharing among the riparian states.

Siddaramaiah reiterated that his government would ensure drinking water to Bengaluru city, Mysuru city and Mandya and a host of villages till next June. The government has also released water for irrigation purpose, he added.

Asked whether the Opposition parties are with him on the Cauvery issue, the chief minister just said, “I think so.”