Govt will consult legal team: CM Siddaramaiah on CWRC's latest directive to release water to Tamil Nadu

The CM said that PM Modi should intervene for an out-of-the-court settlement on Cauvery water sharing row. Siddaramaiah accused the BJP and JD(S) of politicising the issue.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has said that the government will consult the legal team on the latest order of the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee. 

Speaking to media persons in Mysuru, on Tuesday, he said, “CWRC  has ordered to release 3,000 cusec of Cauvery river water to Tamil Nadu for the next 15 days. The  existing order is valid up to Wednesday. We will immediately consult the legal team and decide on it,” he said. 

“While we are struggling to ensure water for drinking purposes, Tamil Nadu is demanding water for crops. Karnataka recorded the lowest rainfall in 123 years, in August. We have only 50 tmcft of water against the requirement of 100 tmcft,” the chief minister said.

Reacting to the allegations that the state government has not presented its case well in the Supreme Court, the chief minister said that it was the same legal team with senior advocate Anil Dhawan that appeared for the case during the previous governments.

PM's intervention sought

He said that the prime minister should intervene for an out-of-the-court settlement on Cauvery water sharing row. Siddaramaiah accused the BJP and JD(S) of politicising the issue. 

“Instead of staging protests, all BJP leaders, including 25 party MPs from the state, should exert pressure on the Union government to send a central team to assess drought situation and get funds to help the state”, he said.

He said that Centre was yet to respond to Karnataka’s letter on the drought situation in the state.