NE NEWS SERVICE
CHENNAI, AUG 11
The Tamil Nadu government on Friday said it would move the Supreme Court over its due share of Cauvery water from Karnataka, as the neighbouring State has refused to share the water with Tamil Nadu during a meeting of the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) in New Delhi.
- The state government said Karnataka has changed its stand and has come forward to release only a reduced quantum of 8,000 cusecs
- There is no other option but to move the Supreme Court: Tamil Nadu Minister for Water Resources Duraimurugan
The state government said Karnataka has changed its stand and has come forward to release only a reduced quantum of 8,000 cusecs.
Speaking about the meeting, the state’s Water Resources secretary, Sandeep Saxena said that Tamil Nadu demanded the immediate release of 37.9 tmc of water to make up for the deficit and asked the Authority to direct Karnataka to release Cauvery water daily. Since there was no headway, the TN team walked out of the meeting.
Referring to the Cauvery Water Management Authority meet deliberations on Friday in Delhi, Tamil Nadu Water Resources Minister Duraimurugan said the requirement for Cauvery water was emphatically put forth by state officials during the over 3-hour discussions.
“However, Karnataka as usual changed its stand and categorically said that it could only release 8,000 cusecs and that too only till August 22.”
The Minister underlined that on August 10, in the Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee meeting it was unanimously decided that 15,000 cusecs per day would be released by Karnataka for 15 days to Tamil Nadu. The meet was held following persuasion by Tamil Nadu.
“Hence, the Tamil Nadu government has no other option but to approach the Supreme Court. Soon, a case will be filed in the Supreme Court. Justice will win and we will get water and the Chief Minister M K Stalin-led government is determined to get water,” he said.
The combined storage capacity of the four dams in Karnataka is 114.571 tmc ft of water and it has 93.535 tmc storage, which is about 82 per cent, the Minister pointed out.
In a statement, Duraimurugan alleged Karnataka does not ‘have a heart’ to share water with Tamil Nadu though it has water and this has been the stance of the Karnataka government ever since the Cauvery dispute arose decades ago.
Duraimurugan recalled the representations to these two forums requesting to ensure the share of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu and Chief Minister MK Stalin’s letter to Union Minister of Jal Shakti reiterating the same and further charged: “But, it is unfortunate that these two forums have not come forward to discharge their functions promptly.”
Karnataka is not concerned even if the standing crops (Kuruvai, short-term paddy crop) are going to wilt, he alleged.
