The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Cauvery: Centre favouring T.N., charges Nanje Gowda

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Aug 02, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Cauvery: Centre favouring T.N., charges Nanje Gowda

Special Correspondent

Takes exception to Centre’s intervention application

‘Centre should remain neutral in all inter-State water disputes’
Intervention application should be withdrawn: former Minister

Bangalore: Former Irrigation Minister H.N. Nanje Gowda has expressed anguish over the “partisan” stand of the Union Government in “blatantly” extending support to Tamil Nadu in the inter-State Cauvery waters dispute.

The riparian States have moved the Supreme Court over the allocation of the waters of the Cauvery in the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal in early 2007. All the riparian States have claimed a higher allocation of water and have categorically stated that what had been given is not proportionate.

Meanwhile, the Union Water Resources Ministry with the support of the Union Law Ministry filed an intervention application before the Supreme Court to the effect that it was beyond the jurisdiction of the apex court or any other court to hear the cases relating to inter-State river disputes and that the cases filed by the riparian States should be referred to the CWDT. The Centre highlighted that Section 11 of the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act of 1956 barred the Supreme Court to resolve or adjudicate any water dispute.

No other point or argument had been raised in the intervention application.

Mr. Nanje Gowda charged that the Union Government filed the intervention application “to please the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M. Karunanidhi. The Centre, on the face of it, has clearly acted on the instructions of the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister. The Union Government should immediately withdraw the intervention application as it is per se against the federal structure. The Centre cannot be partisan in extending support to one State at the cost of another.”

He told the Prime Minister that it was “the strong perception of the people of Karnataka that not more than 80 tmcft of water can be released to Tamil Nadu. The stand of the Union Government in filing an intervention application will result in another round of law and order problem and the Union Government will alone be responsible should there be any unrest.”

Mr. Nanje Gowda said that the Centre should be neutral in all inter-State disputes. “However, the attempt by the Union Government to seek intervention in civil appeals smacks of a blatant act of partisanship which is only intended to help Tamil Nadu,” he charged.

“The people of Karnataka are eagerly waiting to know from you whether this action of the Union Government is in public interest or any national interest. Leave the dispute which is more than a century old to be decided by the Supreme Court in its judicial wisdom,” he told the Prime Minister.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka