BJP govt committed series of lapses in Cauvery case: Congress

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee held a meeting with technical and legal experts, including former Advocate Generals B V Acharya and A N Jayaram, as well as litterateurs to discuss the Cauvery issue at a meeting, also attended by Union Ministers S M Krishna and Mallikarjuna Kharge.

Quoting these experts, KPCC President G Parameshwara told reporters that Karnataka's September 10 affidavit that the state is ready to release 10,000 cusecs daily to Tamil Nadu was mainly responsible to the present "controversy".

He said Karnataka did not mention before the apex court and Cauvery River Authority that the "evaporation loss" from all its reservoirs is to the extent of six to eight TMC of water in an irrigation year.

The state declared 143 taluks as drought-hit and that there was deficit rainfall of 40 per cent, but submitted that sowing operations have taken place in 74.7 per cent of area.

Recalling that the state had released five TMC of water to Tamil Nadu from Krishna river for drinking requirements, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Siddaramaiah said if the neighbouring state had humanitarian considerations, it should have readily accepted Karnataka's position on drinking water requirements vis-a-vis Cauvery dispute. (More)