Bengaluru bans liquor sales for a day; security upped as SC hears Cauvery case

Security has been beefed up in Bengaluru, Mysuru  and Mandya ahead of a crucial Supreme Court hearing on the Cauvery dispute on Tuesday, even as Bengaluru police have banned liquor sales in India's tech hub on Tuesday as a precautionary measure.

Police said that over 20,000 security personnel have been deployed in these three districts, which are dependent on Cauvery water, to ensure that the state does not see a repeat of last week's violence. Violence marred Bengaluru's reputation as a business-friendly city, after vandals destroyed over 200 Tamil Nadu-registered vehicles and one person died in a police firing to control the mob.

The tech hub contributes to nearly a third of India's software exports of $108 billion and has emerged as the top destination for technology talent among global companies.

The fallout of the frenzy became evident after the US government issued an advisory to its citizens to keep away from the "areas of demonstrations or and exercise caution if in the vicinity of any large gatherings, protests, or demonstrations".

Last week, the Supreme Court had directed the state to release 12,000 cusecs of water till September 20 to neighbouring Tamil Nadu to save the samba crops. On Tuesday, it will hear arguments from Karnataka, which says that it does not have enough water in its reservoirs, and Tamil Nadu, which is arguing that the upper riparian state comply with water release as stipulated by a Cauvery river tribunal in 2007.

Both states are also unhappy with the Cauvery Supervisory Committee, which is led by Union water resources secretary, which directed on Monday that Karnataka should release 3,000 cusecs of water till September 30.

Karnataka's reservoirs have less than 50 per cent of its capacity due to weak monsoon in the catchment areas of Kodagu and Kerala.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is facing a tough counterpart in Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, who has refused to engage in talks to resolve the century old dispute. Both chief ministers have been engaged in letter diplomacy — sending letters to each other and making it public.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has declined to entertain Karnataka's request for intervention in the issue.

The two states are also preparing to present their case in the Supreme Court on October 18, when it will hear Karnataka's special leave petition against the 2007 award of the Cauvery water dispute Tribunal that gave Tamil Nadu 419 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) feet of the total 740 TMC feet from the Cauvery basin. Tamil Nadu has sought more allocation of water.