BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah here on Friday appreciated Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar for delivering the goods as water resources minister and credited him for the Supreme Court order on Thursday, rejecting Tamil Nadu’s plea against the Mekedatu balancing reservoir project.
“We dared to launch the padayatra for the project (when congress was in opposition), but Tamil Nadu filed a petition in SC against it. The SC rejected the plea yesterday (Thursday), and Shivakumar’s effort is also there as water resources minister,” he said, releasing a book, ‘Neerina Hejje’ authored by Shivakumar.
Though the SC rejected the TN plea, a lot more is needed to implement the project as the Cauvery Water Management Authority should give its permission, he added.
He echoed Shivakumar’s feeling that the project will help Tamil Nadu too, as the new reservoir will collect 67 tmcft of surplus water after releasing 177.25 tmcft, as entitled, to Tamil Nadu.
He alleged that the Centre is not granting permission to the state’s irrigation projects, including Mahadayi, while Union Minister Pralhad Joshi and state’s MPs from BJP are failing to protect state’s interests, he added.“I am amazed that he gathered statistics and found time to write the book in spite of his busy schedule as it requires preparation and research.
He has not restricted himself to issues concerning the state and has gone beyond with national and international interests. He might have worked after midnight, which he is used to. I, being finance minister for 12-13 years, could not pen a book on finance,” Siddaramaiah said in jest.
Earlier, Shivakumar expressed his gratitude to Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, who had insisted on him to pick up the water resources portfolio in the alliance government, and Siddaramaiah for allotting it to him.
Shivakumar mooted the idea of setting up a permanent water commission exclusively for Karnataka on the lines of Central Water Commission. He has suggested this in his book. Karnataka’s counsel for water disputes Mohan V Katarki said, “We fight cases with great difficulties, including the image of Karnataka being a flouter of court orders.
The backbone is the decisions taken at all-party meetings and the credit goes to all parties since the time of former CM late S Bangarappa,” he remarked.
