Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

The Cauvery issue

The article "Cauvery awards and Karnataka" (March 13) is commendable, especially the observation that the people of Karnataka believe the Cauvery Tribunal's order to be unjust because that is what the political leaders say. It is important for the intelligentsia in both States to know the real facts and figures. What exactly is the additional burden on Karnataka? What is the quantum of Cauvery water that accumulates in Karnataka? What would have been the loss, if any, had the order been in place 10-20 years ago and what is the expected loss to the State in the next 10-20 years? Only if these details are explained can the laypersons get the correct picture.

A. Nandakumar,
Bangalore

It is becoming increasingly evident that political parties and governments will not hesitate to revolt against court verdicts if they are not in their favour. At this rate, a day will come when other social groups and individuals will follow suit. Another distressing trend is that regional feelings are growing stronger by the day. Every State wants to flourish even if it is at the cost of its neighbour. Political parties are effectively whipping up linguistic passions to further their cause.

K.N. Ramani,
Coimbatore

Sane voices are always curbed in a charged atmosphere, be it with respect to Cauvery or Ayodhya.

N. Divakar,
Mysore

The Government and the people of Karnataka have every reason to believe that they have been short-changed at every stage of the Cauvery dispute. It was at Tamil Nadu's insistence that the Cauvery Tribunal was constituted, closing the door to across-the-board discussions between the States. The Tribunal award does not address the problem of distress sharing effectively; it has not taken into account the fact that the Cauvery delta is endowed with huge groundwater resources which are lacking in the hard rock terrain of Karnataka; it has ignored the fact that much of the drinking water needs of Bangalore and Mysore are sourced from the Cauvery, and that large tracts of the delta are uncultivable because of water logging and salinity.

V. Balachandran,
Bangalore

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