The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : `Tribunal's final award will have serious economic consequences'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Feb 23, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

`Tribunal's final award will have serious economic consequences'

Staff Reporter

`State Government should prevail upon the Centre not to gazette the award'

Bangalore: Participants at a seminar on the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal said it would have serious consequences on the economy of villages and towns in the State's Cauvery basin.

Karnataka Muslim Sangharsh Samiti and Tipu Sultan Prachara Samiti, organisers of Thursday's seminar, in a resolution demanded that the State Government should prevail upon the Centre not to gazette the award till certain issues were settled amicably between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

The resolution was read out by Tipu Sultan Prachara Samiti convener T. Chikkarange Gowda.

N.V. Narasimhaiah, former member, Karnataka Backward Classes Commission, said the tribunal had unscientifically apportioned water among the riparian States. Citing the allocation of less than 2 tmcft (thousand million cubic feet) of water for the burgeoning population of Bangalore, Prof. Narasimhaiah said the tribunal had erred in its premise that only the southern part of Bangalore came under the Cauvery basin. What should people living in the other parts of the city do, he asked.

International city

Prof. Narasimhaiah said Bangalore had become an international city attracting foreign investment in heavy industries and information technology. He suspected that some strong lobby had worked against Bangalore and said there was a conspiracy to deny Karnataka its rightful share of water.

The former Irrigation Minister H.N. Nanje Gowda said the final award was beyond implementation. The day was not far off when the riparian States would be compelled to sit across the table and sort out their differences. He said the tribunal had done great harm to the good relationship between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, and the verdict would result in considerable animosity for a long time. He urged the Centre to scrap the award. He said Bangalore required nearly 30 tmcft of Cauvery water, and with the city expected to grow into a major metropolis, the drinking water requirement was expected to cross 40 tmcft. Therefore, the tribunal lacked foresight. It had been Karnataka's complaint from the beginning that the tribunal was biased in favour of Tamil Nadu and this had been proved by the award, he said.

`Approach court'

Mumtaz Ali Khan, social activist, urged the State Government to approach the Supreme Court to get its grievances against the award redressed.

Tamil Nadu and Karnataka should amicably settle their differences on the award, he said.

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