Mandya, (Karnataka), Sep 11 (IANS) Karnataka’s appeal against the direction to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu is scheduled to come up for hearing before the Supreme Court on Monday, Water Resources Minister N. Cheluvarayaswamy said on Friday.
Interacting with reporters in Mandya, Cheluvarayaswamy said the state government had been advised by its legal experts that approaching the Supreme Court directly by violating the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) order could lead to the appeal being rejected.
“Hence, as per the advice of the legal experts, it is unavoidable for Karnataka to continue releasing water to Tamil Nadu until Monday,” he said.
The minister said the government was caught in a difficult situation as Karnataka was facing severe water shortage, while it was also bound by the constitutional framework of federalism and required to respect court orders.
He said Karnataka had released the lowest quantity of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu in the last 20 years under the prevailing circumstances. He pointed out that even during similarly difficult situations in the past, the state had released around 35 TMC of water.
“The government has always been committed to protecting the interests of farmers. Our officials and legal team are presenting a strong case before the court,” Cheluvarayaswamy said.
He said water was currently being supplied to farmers’ crops under a rotational system and efforts were also under way to fill tanks. Adequate water would be reserved in the four major reservoirs in the Cauvery basin to ensure that there was no shortage for drinking water requirements from December to June, he assured.
On the Cauvery issue, Cheluvarayaswamy said the government did not want to engage in political mudslinging with the Opposition. He urged BJP MPs and Union ministers from Karnataka to work towards securing the Centre’s approval for the Mahadayi and Mekedatu projects, which, he said, would provide a permanent solution to the state’s water-related problems.
He said discussions had already been held with the Union Jal Shakti Minister regarding the Mekedatu project and expressed confidence that approval for the project would be secured soon.
On cloud seeding undertaken in the state, the minister said the initiative had not yielded the expected results during the initial phase. However, he expressed hope that weather conditions would become favourable after the Gauri-Ganesha festival and that the operation would produce better results in the coming days.
On recent political developments and raids by investigating agencies, Cheluvarayaswamy alleged that Income Tax and Enforcement Directorate raids had become common in Congress-ruled states with the Lok Sabha elections approaching.
He said state Minister Satish Jarkiholi had clarified that he was engaged in business activities and expressed confidence that he would prove the allegations against him false through legal means and emerge innocent.
Cheluvarayaswamy also said the government’s 100-day celebrations had been successfully conducted as a festival for the people. He added that such public-oriented programmes and celebrations would increase across Karnataka during the next one-and-a-half years.
–IANS
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