BENGALURU/NEW DELHI : In a sharp escalation of the long-standing Cauvery dispute, Karnataka has decided to challenge the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee’s (CWRC) directive asking it to release water to Tamil Nadu.
The state will take up the matter at the 54th emergency meeting of the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) scheduled for Thursday afternoon in New Delhi. The meeting will be held in a hybrid mode and the state will be represented by Karnataka Water Resources Additional Chief Secretary Gaurav Gupta. He will be accompanied by a team of water experts from Karnataka.
The meeting agenda includes a review of the hydrometeorological conditions in the Cauvery basin and the deficit in flows realised at Biligundlu and the Karaikal region of Puducherry during the present financial year. The CWMA may discuss other relevant issues if the chairman allows it, sources said.
Chief Minister DK Shivakumar announced the decision to file an appeal while speaking to the media outside Karnataka Bhavan in New Delhi on Wednesday. Shivakumar said he held detailed consultations with the advocate general, legal experts, and senior officials before deciding to strongly contest the CWRC order.
“Following yesterday’s order, we have to prepare our response. Today, the advocate general, our legal experts and all the officials are making necessary preparations,” he said.
“We have rejected Tamil Nadu’s request twice earlier when there was no rain. This time, too, despite poor monsoon conditions, the committee has ordered water release. We will challenge this firmly,” Shivakumar said.
He added that after returning to Bengaluru, he will hold discussions with opposition party leaders to build a united front.
Karnataka has invited Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Vijay to visit the Cauvery basin and assess the ground situation himself. “We have requested him to come and see the reality. We will arrange a helicopter for him. He should experience the actual conditions before taking a decision,” Shivakumar stated.
He confirmed that Vijay had expressed interest in a discussion through a letter to the chief secretary, and Karnataka has extended full protocol welcome for the visit.
The meeting is scheduled to be held at Vidhana Soudha on August 3, though it is not certain whether it will happen, considering the political ramifications it would have on both sides of the border.