The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : KRRS leader hits out at tribunal

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Feb 24, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

KRRS leader hits out at tribunal

Staff Reporter

Accuses it of adopting different yardsticks while apportioning water

AGAINST `INJUSTICE': Members of the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha and activists of the Mandya Zilla Janapara Vedike taking out a procession from city railway station to the Raj Bhavan, in Bangalore on Friday. — Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

BANGALORE: The Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) has accused the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal of adopting different yardsticks while apportioning the available water in the river among the four riparian States.

KRRS leader K.S. Puttannaiah, who led a procession of Cauvery basin farmers to Raj Bhavan on Friday, later told presspersons that while the State's water requirement was 360 tmcft, it had been allocated 270 tmcft in the final award.

`Different yardsticks'

Given the allocation to Tamil Nadu, it was obvious that "different yardsticks" had been adopted by the tribunal.

The farmers from Mandya district came to Raj Bhavan from the railway station in a procession.

Mr. Puttannaiah, who called on Governor T.N. Chaturvedi at the culmination of the procession, said, "The tribunal has adopted different yardsticks to distribute water among the riparian States. We want the same yardstick that was considered for allocation to Tamil Nadu to be applied for Karnataka as well."

Considering the basis for Tamil Nadu's share in the award, he said, Karnataka should get around 360 tmcft of water annually on the same basis as against the present allocation of 270 tmcft.

He said, "If the demands are not met, Karnataka being an upper riparian State will continue to lose," he added.

Karnataka, he said, had 8.5 lakh acres under full irrigation as against 7.35 lakh acres that was fed by the southwest monsoon while three lakh acres was fed by the northeast monsoon.

"To fulfil our water requirement, we require 360 tmcft of water," Mr. Puttannaiah said.

"By adhering to the interim award of the tribunal, the State has lost nearly Rs. 13,500 crore during the last 16 years, as it has released 1,050 tmcft of water more than what was stipulated. Using the excess water, Karnataka could have produced more agriculture produce besides generating electricity," he said.

`Silence' criticised

He criticised the "silence" of Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and the former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda on the issue. Silence at this juncture would not bring justice to the State, he added.

Commenting on the resignation of Mandya MP M.H. Ambareesh, the KRRS leader said he committed a mistake by resigning both as Union Minister and MP. Mr. Ambareesh could have used Parliament as a platform to raise his voice against the tribunal, he said.

Meeting

Mr. Puttannaiah said he would participate in the all-party meeting convened by the Chief Minister on Saturday.

Earlier, Mr. Puttannaiah and other KRRS leaders met the Governor and submitted a memorandum to him highlighting the problems Karnataka would face if the final award was notified.

The memorandum urged the Union Government not to publish the final award in the gazette.

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