Karnataka on Saturday rejected the guidelines formulated by the Centre on Cauvery River Water Regulation Committee and Authority and said they need to be corrected. Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, who is heading a fragile coalition with the Congress, on Saturday rejected the guidelines formulated by the Centre on Cauvery River Water Regulation Committee and Authority.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru on Saturday Kumaraswamy said the conditions and guidelines formulated by the centre on Cauvery River Water Regulation Committee and Authority is not acceptable and need to be corrected.
He said “The Union Government had announced yesterday formation of the Committee and had done its work following court directions. But Karnataka Government had already appealed to the Centre about some ‘mistakes’ in forming the guidelines of the Authority which was against the interests of the higher riparian State of Karnataka.”
The Union Government under the orders of Supreme Court on Friday had notified the formation of Cauvery Regulation Committee which will include representatives of riparian states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Kerala. Members from three states other than Karnataka have already been finalised. The Authority mandate is to regulate the storage, apportionment of Cauvery Waters, supervision of operation of reservoirs and with regulation of water releases with the assistance of the Committee.
However, Kumaraswamy said the technical problems in implementation of the water sharing formula has not been addressed by the Union Government and the ‘mistakes’ in guidelines needs to be corrected by it. “In the backdrop of correcting these mistakes, we have approached the Union Government. However, we have no objection to formation of the Authority and the Committee. We are a law abiding State but this should not be construed as our weakness. I will again write a letter to the Centre to correct those mistakes in the guidelines,’’ he added.
He however said the appointment of the committee and the authority was under the court directions and there was ‘remote chance’ of changing it. But Karnataka will explore all issues that run against the interest of the state legally and politically.
“We will discuss further and see how we can fight the issue legally’’, he said. But he said by finalising the guidelines of the committee and the authority by the Centre, Karnataka had been denied its rights on water as a upper riparian state taken away. This needs to be corrected. “We will pursue this matter again and again with the Union Government,’’ he added.
“There are many problems in that area faced by farmers of Karnataka. But we have followed the rules. But this does not mean that it is our weakness,’’ he added.
He said Union Water Resources Minister Nitin Gandkari, whom he had met early this week had assured to hold a meeting with him again in the next two weeks and hoped that all concerns of the state regarding the guidelines will be corrected. The State Government will again discuss the issue with the Union Government and ensure that Karnataka gets a fair deal, he said. Kumaraswamy said he had appointed a water resource expert to chalk out the future action by the State and will hold discussion with Advocate General of the State tomorrow on the issue.