Cauvery belongs to TN as well: AIADMK on K'taka resolution

After the Karnataka legislative council unanimously passed the resolution to release Cauvery water to meet the requirements of its people, the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) on Friday condemned the government of the neighbouring state and said the river belongs to Tamil Nadu as well.

AIADMK leader C.R. Saraswathi claimed that people of Karnataka were ensured safety in Tamil Nadu despite the breakdown of law and order in Bengaluru during the unrest post the Supreme Court verdict on Cauvery dispute.

"The Karnataka Government is defying the court's orders. What will happen in the future if a government doesn't follow the judgment? This issue is being politicized by the Karnataka Government because they are going to face elections very soon. Despite the law and order breakdown in Karnataka, the Tamil Nadu Government ensured safety to every Karnataka people living here," she told ANI.

"God knows how much water they have. Cauvery belongs to us as well, not only to Karnataka. The water has to come to Tamil Nadu," she added.

Defying the Supreme Court order to release 6,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu, the Karnataka legislative council today passed the resolution directing the Siddaramaiah-led government to ensure that no water in the storages be drawn except for drinking requirements of Bengaluru and adjoining villages.

"This house notes that in the year 2016-17 there has been an acute situation of distress. But the shortfall in the basin will be known only in the end of the season 2016-17. This house further seriously notes that the storages in four reservoirs namely Krishna Raja Sagara, Hemavathy, Harangi and Kabini have reached alarmingly low levels with only 27.6 tmc of water. It is now resolved to direct that in this state of acute distress it is imperative that the government ensures that no water from the present storages be drawn, save and except for meeting drinking water requirements of the villages and towns in the Cauvery basin and for the entire city of Bangalore," former chief minister of Karnataka Jagadish Shettar said.

"The above resolution is passed after carefully considering the needs of the inhabitants of the state of Karnataka whose interests are likely to be jeopardized if water in the core reservoirs is any way reduced other than meeting the drinking water requirements of inhabitants in the Cauvery basin including the entire city of Bengaluru," he added.

Meanwhile, a discussion on the resolution is underway in Karnataka Assembly.

Ahead of the session, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah met Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti in New Delhi yesterday, a day after the state cabinet decided to defer the release of the waters and convene a legislature session amid an escalating row between the two states.

The Cauvery Supervisory Committee had on September 19 asked Karnataka to release 3,000 cusecs per day from September 21 to 30, but the apex court had on September 20, doubled the quantum to 6,000 cusecs from September 21 to 27 after Tamil Nadu pressed for water to save its samba paddy crop.

It had also directed the Centre to constitute within four weeks the Cauvery Water Management Board as directed by Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal in its award.