Bengaluru (Karnataka): Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai today met with Minister of Water Resources Ramesh Jarakiholi, legal experts and irrigation experts on litigation related to interstate water disputes in court. Afterwards, he said that the tribunal must decide additional water allocation. However, Bommai said that Tamil Nadu's scheme is being implemented in contravention of the law he said, adding that if Karnataka implements the Bengaluru Drinking water project, Tamil Nadu opposes it. Bommai insisted that Tamil Nadu has constantly created controversy.
Now the Tamil Nadu government is preparing for the Cauvery-Vegai-Gundur project. In opposition to this, the CM has written to the central government not to give clearance for the project. The petition was filed by farmers in Madurai court. Though the interstate water dispute is not covered by the High Court. The Supreme Court has said that persons should not file the petition. "In this petition, we are not a party, Tamil Nadu is a party. However in that case we decided to argue, our lawyers in the Madurai High Court are vehemently opposing this," Bommai said.
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"We have decided to take this issue to the Supreme Court again. The Supreme Court has accepted the Goa petition in the case of Mahadayi and asked the three states to look into the current state of water diversion. An inspection will be done in front of the superintendent of engineers of the three states. The conclusion is to reflect the fact. The river character is downstairs, the linking canal is at the top. Thus no water can be diverted. The state is going the way of the tribunal. Bommai explained that this kind of strategy was used to postpone the Goa-Kalasa-Banduri project.
The government has decided to work within the jurisdiction to use the water provided by the tribunal. We have advised on how to argue for a sanction for the works in the Supreme Court. There has been no delay from the state government. The Tamil Nadu outbreak has erupted. CM has written latter to the Center about this. There is no delay in this and appropriate action has been taken at the right time. The government has taken all measures to protect our groundwater, he said.
Read: 'Will not allow Tamil Nadu to use surplus Cauvery water'
Senior advocates representing the state in the state's Advocate General and Supreme Court, senior officials, including the Water Resources Department's top general secretary, technical committee members on international water disputes, and managing directors of all irrigation corporations in the state were present in the meeting.
The Tamil Nadu government has laid the foundation for the Rs 14,400 crore 262-km river-linking project - Cauvery-Vaigai-Gundar - river interlinking project, which will divert 6,300 cubic feet of surplus water during floods and increase the groundwater levels in southern districts to meet drinking water needs.
On February 23, Yediyurappa had told reporters that the state government has decided to file objections before the Centre against the project.
"We will not allow it. We are taking strong measures. We will not allow Tamil Nadu or others to use surplus water," he had said.
