MYSORE/MANDYA: In a setback, the Supreme Court has refused to interfere in the petitions of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu over the release of Cauvery water.
Karnataka had demanded a stay on the order passed by the Cauvery tribunal that directed to release 5000 cusecs of water to its neighboring state, while Tamil Nadu had demanded more water from Karnataka.
The top court maintained that the decision by the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) is final.
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The apex court decision is a major blow to the Siddaramaiah government, as farmer groups and opposition parties in the state have harshly criticized the government in managing the water crisis in the state, where 193 taluks out of the 220 taluks are declared “drought-affected.”
A bench of Justice BR Gavai, Justice PS Narasimha, and Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra observed that the CWMA and CMRC consist of various experts in water resource management and agriculture. The CMRC (The Cauvery Management Regulatory Committee) has taken into consideration the shortfall of water this year and various other factors, including the increasing condition in the Cauvery basin for the past one month, the court observed. The court also said that the situation is monitored closely every 15 days.
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Around 195 taluks have been declared as drought-affected, and an estimated 40 lakh hectares of agricultural crops and two lakh hectares of horticulture crops have been damaged in Karnataka, State Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said on Tuesday.
The CWMA on Monday asked Karnataka to continue releasing 5,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu for another 15 days after the CWRC last week made such a recommendation.
Meanwhile, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah called for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention in resolving the tussle between the two states over the Cauvery issue. “The prime minister has the authority to summon the two states and hear their arguments. Given this context, we have appealed for the Prime Minister’s intervention,” he said.
