MANDYA: The Karnataka government’s appeal against the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu is scheduled to come up for hearing before the Supreme Court on Monday, said Irrigation Minister N Cheluvarayaswamy here on Friday.
The government is compelled to continue releasing water to Tamil Nadu till the hearing based on the advice of its legal experts. Directly approaching the Supreme Court without complying with the order of the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) would have resulted in the petition being rejected, he pointed out.
He said the government is caught in a difficult situation as the state is facing severe water scarcity, but also has to release water as per court orders under the federal system. “The quantum of water released to Tamil Nadu this time, however, is the lowest in the last 20 years. In the past, even during difficult situations, 35 tmcft of water had been released,” he said.
The government is committed to safeguarding the interests of farmers, while officials and the legal team are preparing a strong case, he said.
Water is now being supplied to crops through the rotational ‘kattu’ system, while efforts are being made to fill tanks. Adequate water storage will be maintained in the four major Cauvery basin reservoirs to ensure uninterrupted drinking water supply from December to June, he added.
The government does not want to engage in a political blame game with the Opposition over Cauvery. If BJP MPs and Union ministers from Karnataka take the initiative to secure the Centre’s approval for the Mahadayi and Mekedatu projects, it will provide a permanent solution to the state’s water-related problems, he said. Discussions on the Mekedatu project have already been held with Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil, he said, expressing confidence that the project will be approved soon.
On cloud seeding, he said the operations have not produced the expected results during their initial phase. He, however, hoped that the operations will yield better results when weather conditions become favourable after the Gowri-Ganesha festival. On Enforcement Directorate raid on PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi, he said the latter has already clarified the nature of his business. Courts will prove the allegations baseless and Jarkiholi will be exonerated, he added.
