THANJAVUR: The Cauvery Rights Retrieval Committee (CRRC) has taken exception to statements made by Navin Kumar, Chairman, Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC), on water-sharing and Mekedatu dam issues after a meeting in Tiruchy recently.
CRRC coordinator P Maniyarasan pointed out the Karnataka government did not release water due for June and July. The available water in Karnataka reservoirs must have been released on pro-rata basis but CWRC failed to order water release. Maniyarasan alleged Kumar, as CWRC Chairman, in the Tiruchy meeting had failed to discharge his statutory duty and instead said storage levels were not normal in Karnataka reservoirs during those months.
Maniyarasan alleged the CWRC has been toeing the line of Karnataka which has been intransigent in releasing water due to Tamil Nadu as per a Supreme Court order.
He also pointed out when asked about the Karnataka’s stand that floodwaters released by it should be adjusted with the monthly quota due for Tamil Nadu, the CWRC chairman simply said the objections of the State government in this regard are under the consideration of the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA).
He said the water should be released as per the monthly schedule arrived at by the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) and later by the Supreme Court which only said if there was a shortfall in a month it should be set right by releasing more water the next month. The court did not say the surplus water flowing in a month should be adjusted for the obligations of ensuing months.
Maniyarasan said it was shocking that Kumar had said the proposal of Karnataka to construct a new dam across Mekedatu would be discussed in the next meeting of the CWMA.
“The Centre, CWMA and CWRC were hitherto acting to the advantage of Karnataka and the Centre had already called for and got a detailed project report for Mekedatu reservoir,” said Maniyarasan.
He said there was a danger of the Centre acting in a partisan manner on the issue of constructing a new dam across the Cauvery as it acted while Karnataka, in violation of the rules, constructed the dams in the Cauvery basin in that State.