Karnataka CM Shivakumar chairs high-level meeting on Cauvery water issue after CWMA’s order
Bengaluru: Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Friday chaired a high-level meeting at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru in the wake of the Cauvery Water Management Authority’s (CWMA) order on the Cauvery water-sharing issue.
It can be noted that the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) directed Karnataka to release water to Tamil Nadu at a rate of 3,500 cusecs a day for 15 days from July 29. However, Karnataka, itself facing drought, had filed an appeal against the CWRC’s order before the CWMA.
In a setback to the state, the CWMA, which met in Delhi on Thursday, upheld the CWRC order that Karnataka should release water to Tamil Nadu at a rate of 3,500 cusecs a day for 15 days.
The meeting chaired by CM Shivakumar on Friday was attended by Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara, Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy, Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh, Advocate General Shashi Kiran Shetty, Additional Chief Secretaries Tushar Girinath, Gaurav Gupta, and Rajendra Kumar Kataria and Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh, among other senior officials.
The discussions focussed on the state’s response to the CWMA’s directive amid growing political opposition and protests by farmer and pro-Kannada organisations against the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu.
The high-level deliberations come at a time when Karnataka has maintained that reservoir levels are inadequate and that the state is facing a potential drinking water crisis, necessitating a reassessment of water availability before complying with any release orders.
It can be recalled that CM Shivakumar on Thursday announced that an all-party meeting will be held on August 2 at his official residence, Krishna, to discuss the Cauvery water dispute and chart the state’s future course of action.
Speaking to reporters in Delhi, CM Shivakumar said invitations had been extended to all former Chief Ministers, Members of Parliament from the Cauvery catchment region, leaders of all political parties, and floor leaders to participate in the meeting.
“We will discuss the future course of action in the all-party meeting. Today, Karnataka is presenting its case before the authorities, and senior officers are making submissions on behalf of the state. I have been monitoring the developments closely,” he said.
CM Shivakumar said leaders across party lines, including Union Ministers Pralhad Joshi and V. Somanna, former Chief Ministers, and BJP MPs Basavaraj Bommai and Jagadish Shettar, had extended their support in safeguarding Karnataka’s interests.
“I must acknowledge that all our MPs and Union Ministers are extending cooperation beyond political considerations to protect the interests of the state,” CM Shivakumar said.
Responding to suggestions to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Joseph Vijay, that he should engage with the Union government rather than meeting him on the issue, CM Shivakumar declined to comment, saying he did not want to react to those remarks.
“We do not want confrontation. There is a law of the land, and we must respect each other and the sentiments of the people on both sides. This is one country,” he said.