BENGALURU: The state government will take up issues concerning interstate water disputes with Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat soon to get clearances for projects, including Mekedatu balancing reservoir, Mahadayi and phase-3 of Upper Krishna Project(UKP), said Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai here on Friday.
Setting the process in motion immediately, Water Resources Minister Govind Karjol will meet Shekhawat in New Delhi on Monday or Tuesday and brief him about the status of projects. Soon after, Bommai too will call on the Union minister.
After a two-hour, marathon all-party meeting, in which Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah and Bandeppa Kashempur of JDS too took part at Vidhana Soudha, Bommai said that a delegation of Karnataka MPs, including former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, will be taken to New Delhi to impress upon Shekhawat.
“I will meet the Union minister soon after the session and share details of the meeting with opposition leaders. If our attempts prove futile, I may lead an all-party delegation to the minister to exert pressure,” he said. Though the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) has held five to six meetings,
nothing fruitful has come out. “The state government will try to get another meeting fixed to get environmental clearances and nod for the detailed project report for Mekedatu,” he said.
CM to request CJI to appoint judges to hear UKP case
“I have instructed our water resources department secretary to take up the issue seriously and also to get details of proceedings of previous meetings,” he said. On Mahaydayi, Bommai said he is confident that the project will take off soon after environmental clearances are granted. With regards to the Upper Krishna Project, there was a Supreme Court stay in 2011.
The tribunal gave its final verdict in 2013, but the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana governments raised objections causing the delay, he said. Meanwhile, Justices DY Chandrachud from Maharashtra and AS Bopanna from Karnataka recused themselves from the UKP case and the Chief Justice of India will be appealed to appoint the judges.
“We are expecting to get permission to notify the project in the gazette after two to three hearings in the case,” he added. Bommai said the state government has raised objection to interlinking of Godavari, Krishna, Cauvery and Pennar rivers as the states’ share of waters has not been allotted yet. “We will secure our allocation,” he added. KPCC president DK Shivakumar, leader of opposition in the Council BK Hariprasad, former ministers HK Patil and MB Patil, legal expert Mohan Kataraki and officials were present.
Issues discussed
Environmental clearances for Mekedatu Balancing Reservoir and Mahadayi projects
Taking up of Upper Krishna Project(UKP) phase III
Decisions
To get a Cauvery Water Management Authority meeting fixed to decide on Mekedatu and get approval for DPR
Appeal to the CJI to appoint two judges to hear the UKP case as Andhra and Telangana have raised objections
Oppn suggestions
Take steps to get UKP notified as a national project,
Get environmental clearance for Mekedatu project
Legal experts should find easy ways to implement the project, instead of complicating issues