CHENNAI: Strongly condemning the Karnataka government’s stance on releasing Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister MK Stalin, on Monday, announced that a meeting of all legislature parties will be held on Tuesday at the state secretariat to decide the next course of action.
However, perhaps for the first time, the CM will not be participating in such a meeting. Instead, the meeting will be chaired by Water Resources Minister Duraimurugan. Legal experts too will be consulted on the next move, Stalin said in a statement.
The CM noted that the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) were formed, as per the directives of the Supreme Court, to implement the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal and the SC. However, as Karnataka failed to release water as per these norms last year, TN farmers were put to great hardship and the state received the water only after approaching the apex court, he recalled.
The CWRC, after considering the inflow into Karnataka dams during the southwest monsoon, has directed the upper riparian state to release 1 tmcft of water per day between July 12 and 31 to TN. “However, the Karnataka government’s refusal to release the ordered quantum of water is shocking and violative of the SC order. The state government has already written to the CWMA seeking immediate implementation of the committee’s order,” the CM said.
As of Monday, the total storage level in the four dams of Karnataka stands at 75.586 tmcft and as per the meteorological department’s forecast, the rainfall during the southwest monsoon for Karnataka would be normal. The storage level at the Mettur Dam, on the other hand, stands at just 13.808 tmcft. “Against this backdrop, Karnataka’s refusal to release water as per the direction of the CWRC is nothing but a betrayal of the farmers in TN,” he added.
‘If K’taka fails, govt must stage a massive stir’
Alt hough he welcomed the call for a meeting of legislature parties, PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss said the CM’s decision to stay away from the meeting cannot be accepted.
“In Karnataka, the CM is chairing the all-party meeting. Siddaramaiah is consulting not only the leaders of the political parties, but also MPs, MLAs, and office bearers of farmers’ associations.
Only if the CM chairs the meeting can we show Karnataka how firmly TN stands on the issue,” he said. DMDK general secretary Premalatha Vijayakant said the state government should move the courts apart from convening the meeting of parties. If Karnataka fails to release water even then, the state government should organise a massive agitation involving all political parties, she said.
