The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Opposition wants review petition filed

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Feb 06, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Opposition wants review petition filed

Special Correspondent

In thelegislature Cauvery tribunal order termed `shocking and unfair'

BANGALORE: Leaders of Opposition parties in the Legislative Assembly on Monday termed the order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal on sharing of Cauvery waters "shocking and unfair" and demanded that the State Government file a review petition before the tribunal.

Leader of the Opposition N. Dharam Singh said "a strong lobby of Tamil Nadu has worked in favour of that State." The Government should announce its stance on the issue soon after consulting leaders of political parties and legal and irrigation experts. "We are not politicising the issue," he said and urged the Government to file the review petition before the tribunal within 90 days. A final notification of the tribunal is expected in 90 days.

M. Mallikarjun Kharge (Congress) said, "It is a shocking news and injustice cannot be tolerated." The Government should take steps to maintain law and order by deploying adequate police personnel in sensitive areas. The interim award given in 1991 triggered violence in Bangalore and some Cauvery basin districts of the State, he said.

The Government should decide soon what course of action to take to protect the interests of the State's farmers, he said.

The former Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah (Congress) said the award "is an injustice to Karnataka" and "it is a most unfair decision as far as the State is concerned."

Karnataka never expected this magnitude of injustice," said Mr. Siddaramaiah, who hails from Mysore district.

The implementation of the award would adversely affect the supply of drinking water to Bangalore city and other areas in the State. Out of the 270 tmcft awarded to the State, nearly 50 tmcft would be required to meet the drinking water needs of Bangalore, he said.

`Area limited'

The award had limited the irrigated area to 18 lakh hectares, though there was a potential to irrigate 24 lakh hectares in the Cauvery basin districts. Execution of the award would render many irrigation projects unviable, he said and demanded that the Government file a review petition.

Vatal Nagaraj (Kannada Chaluvali Vatal Paksha) staged a black flag demonstration in the Assembly and termed the tribunal award "anti-Kannada." He urged the Government to take an all-party delegation to the Centre to brief the Prime Minister about the irrigation requirements of the State. "The tribunal acted as an agent of Tamil Nadu", Mr. Nagaraj alleged.

J.C. Madhuswamy (JD-U) said the tribunal had rendered injustice to Karnataka by reducing its share. Further, monthly-wise release of water to the neighbouring State would adversely affect the cropping pattern in basin districts in the State, he said.

P.G.R. Sindhia (JD-S), G.V Srirama Reddy (CPI-M), K. Jayaprakash Hegde (independent), Krishna Byre Gowda, Dinesh Gundu Rao and N.L. Narendra Babu (all Congress) and S. Rajendran (RPI) also criticised the tribunal award.

`Injustice'

Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council H.K. Patil has termed the tribunal's award "a continuation of the historic injustice the State has been subjected since 1924."

Speaking to the presspersons in the lounge of the Council on Monday, Mr. Patil said the tribunal had not even taken the assessors' report into consideration.

The only matter of solace to the State was the tribunal's decision to fix Biligundlu as the gauging point, he said.

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