Central team in B'luru, to tour Cauvery basin from today

The Centre’s high-level technical team set up to assess ground realities in the Cauvery basin arrived in Bengaluru on Thursday. The team is scheduled to tour the basin region for two days, on Friday and Saturday.

Sources in the Water Resources department said arrangements have been made for the team members to stay at Lalit Ashok, a five-star hotel, on Kumara Krupa Road.

The Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR) has booked eight rooms (four luxury and four executive) for the members. The rent for a luxury room at the hotel is Rs 14,000 per day, while executive room costs Rs 12,000 per day.

The government has decided to consider the team members as state guests. Arrangements have been made to ferry them to the four reservoirs in a helicopter.

Two helicopters are kept ready to fly the team, besides officers of Karnataka. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is learnt to have directed the DPAR officials to ensure that the team members feel comfortable during their stay in Bengaluru, the sources added.

Water Resources Minister M B Patil told reporters on Thursday that the state government will submit a memorandum to the team before it commences the field visit on Friday.

A power-point presentation will be made to the team members on the ground situation. Later, the team is scheduled to visit four Cauvery reservoirs of Krishnaraja Sagar, Kabini, Harangi and Hemavathi. They will be interacting with farmers.

Set up as per the direction of the Supreme Court, the team will also assess damage to crops due to non-availability of water and examine availability of water for drinking purpose for people in the basin region and Bengaluru.

The three-member technical team is headed by G S Jha, the chairman of the Central Water Commission. Representatives from all four riparian states – Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry - will accompany the team.

As many as nine members are expected to be part of the visiting team. The first stopver would be in Maddur and later in KRS. 

The team is likely to visit Mettur dam in Tamil Nadu on Saturday evening. The SC has directed the team to submit its report on the ground realities on October 17.