Formation of Cauvery Management Board will affect state: Gowda

Former prime minister and MP H D Deve Gowda on Friday opined that if Cauvery Water Management Board is constituted as per the Supreme Court's order, it will have an adverse impact on the state. The state and the Union government should tackle the issue carefully, he said.

Gowda, who visited the Hemavathi dam on Friday, took stock of the water availability in the dam and gathered necessary information from the authorities. Speaking to media later, he said that the Supreme Court has directed to constitute the Cauvery Water Management Board within six weeks, which will affect the state. "I will be meeting Union Minister Nitin Gadkari in Delhi on March 5 or 6. If necessary, I will also meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and explain the situation," he said.

Adding, Gowda said, "I will not blame anyone for the current situation. It is inevitable to stay united to set right the problem being faced by the state. The state government had distributed sweets without completely studying the SC verdict. It is okay to have political conflicts among the parties. But, when it comes to Cauvery issue, the political leaders should learn from their counterparts in Tamil Nadu," he said. The state government should also cooperate with the Centre, he opined.

"Nitin Gadkari was non-committal on a possible time frame for constituting the water board is a bit of good news for Karnataka. I have expressed gratitude to him," Gowda said.

"I will also visit Kabini, Harangi and KRS dams at Cauvery basin and gather details before meeting the Union Minister," he explained.