Cauvery row: Karnataka hints at not releasing full quota to Tamil Nadu

BENGALURU: Karnataka on Friday indicated that it may not release the full daily quota of 5,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu as directed by the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA).

A state cabinet meeting, convened by CM Siddaramaiah, elaborately discussed the pros and cons of defying the CWMA directive, but did not come to any conclusion, ministers who attended the meeting said.

A senior official said that we have been releasing 3,000 to 4,000 cusecs, but cannot release 5,000 cusecs. The cabinet also discussed convening an emergency special one-day session of the legislature to seek the opinion of elected representatives on the water-sharing issue, though no formal announcements were made to this effect.

Following Friday's late-evening cabinet meeting, deputy CM DK Shivakumar, who also holds the water resources portfolio, said: "Our government is committed to respecting the SC directive and whatever share (of Cauvery water) is to be given to TN, we are bound to do it."

While saying that it is the duty of the state to protect the interest of its farmers, the deputy chief minister indicated that some quantity of water will have to be released before approaching the court again for relief.

However, a senior official privy to Friday's discussions said: "We've been releasing 3,000 to 4,000 cusecs of water every day, but we cannot afford to release 5,000 cusecs as directed by CWMA. However, we cannot go on record with this since it may tantamount to contempt of court." He added that Karnataka will move the Supreme Court and CWMA again to further explain its constraints.

Karnataka's latest stand will give some reprieve to the Congress government in the state that is currently under fire from agitating farmers in the Cauvery basin, who have called for a 'bandh' on Saturday to protest the release of water to Tamil Nadu.

Based on a recommendation from the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC), CWMA had directed the state to release 5,000 cusecs of water daily to Tamil Nadu for 15 days, which was rejected by Karnataka.

While standing by the government's stance, Shivakumar also appealed to those who have called for a general strike in Mandya on Saturday to drop their 'bandh' call, arguing that it would not help the state's cause, even as he criticised the opposition for "politicising" the issue.

"A bandh won't help. There could be a law and order problem. We will fight for the farmers. We have safeguarded their interests as much as possible and will continue to do so. But any violence [during the 'bandh'] will bring disrepute to the state," he reasoned.

Responding to the opposition's criticism that the government had delayed seeking legal recourse, Shivakumar said: "There is no question of delay. We were following procedures."

Meanwhile, former CM HD Kumaraswamy said JD(S) will support Saturday's Mandya 'bandh' call.