Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay is set to introduce a resolution in the state Assembly opposing Karnataka's plan to construct a dam across the Cauvery river at Mekedatu. The resolution will urge the Centre to withhold technical and environmental clearance, citing concerns that the project would unilaterally affect Tamil Nadu's interests.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay concluded his first official visit to Delhi, meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to discuss key state issues.
The Tamil Nadu government has approached the Supreme Court over the Cauvery river water dispute and sought 10 TMC water immediately from Karnataka. "Karnataka has received 26 TMC water in the past ten days and our proportionate share of 10 TMC should be released immediately," says the petition.
The Supreme Court on Monday pulled up the Prime Minister's Office officials for not holding a meeting of Cauvery River Authority, headed by the Prime Minister, to resolve the water-sharing dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
"Why can't the two Chief Ministers sit together? Give it a try, it is not impossible," a bench of justices D K Jain and Madan B Lokur said.
Tensions flared up in Karnataka as Tamil Nadu announced that it would go ahead with its drinking water project at Hognekal Falls. Karnataka claims Tamil Nadu does not have clearance from the Centre to go ahead with the project, adding that as the verdict of the water dispute tribunal was under appeal in the Supreme Court, no work could be carried out on the project.
'The Cauvery river has become excessively politicised by all political parties.' 'They see a vote bank in an emotive issue of this kind.'
'Sharing of water from a river which flows through several states is a crucial challenge which comes in the way of maintaining the spirit of good neighbourly relations.'
If TVK MLAs and ministers are perceived as clean, or demonstrably cleaner than their predecessors, the credibility dividend will be enormous. The voter will feel rewarded, points out Ramesh Menon.
Farmers organisations and pro-Kannada organisations staged protests in Mysuru, Mandya, Bengaluru and other parts expressing their anger and urging the state government not to release water to Tamil Nadu.
The meeting came in the backdrop of protests by farmers bodies against the release of Cauvery river water to Tamil Nadu.
Several activists of pro-Kannada organisations were also whisked away by the police at Town Hall, as they gathered there to stage a protest.
Following is the chronology of events in the decades-old Cauvery water dispute matter in which the Supreme Court on Friday held that Karnataka will get 284.75 tmcft and Tamil Nadu 404.25 tmcft Cauvery water.
Protests over the Cauvery water dispute gained momentum on Friday with Kannada outfits planning several high-voltage rallies in Bengaluru even as the state government briefed a central team on the water storage levels in reservoirs.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday hit out at the BJP-led government at the Centre, alleging the delay in giving approval to the construction of the Mekedatu balancing reservoir over the river Cauvery, and accused neighbouring Tamil Nadu of causing "unnecessary nuisance" on the issue.
The mind-boggling figure is spent in the legal battle seeking rights over the river before the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal in New Delhi.
The Supreme Court on Monday pulled up the Prime Minister's Office for the way it was dealing with the Cauvery water dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The Centre's lawyer told the court that he needed time to file a proper reply on this issue and the date for convening the Cauvery River Authority, headed by the prime minister, has not been fixed.
Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar on Monday met Union Minister S M Krishna in New Delhi amid demands by Karnataka leaders for a review of Cauvery River Authority's decision asking the state to release 9,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu.
The verdict brings an end to the 16-year-old dispute but fears of violence loom large.
Karnataka, which is facing a political tug-of-war between the Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress-Janata Dal-Secular over government formation, had earlier made a failed bid to temporarily stall the finalisation of draft Cauvery management scheme.
Today, with the Lok Sabha polls only months away, any inter-state dispute over the Cauvery water dispute has the potential to take more political turns than otherwise, predicts N Sathiya Moorthy.
The Cauvery Water Users Association, Bangalore, had filed the writ petition seeking a quash of the February 5, award made by the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to give an urgent hearing to a plea of the Tamil Nadu government for setting up the Cauvery management board for implementation of the Cauvery water disputes tribunal award, saying there is "no urgency" for it.
The SC ruled that Karnataka will now have an enhanced share of 14.75 tmcft water per year while Tamil Nadu will get 404.25 tmcft, which will be 14.75 tmcft less than what was allotted by the tribunal in 2007.
'According to politicians, farmers are the fourth grade citizens of India.' 'We farmers could meet the prime minister and ministers during Congress rule.' 'But none of the BJP ministers want to even meet us.' 'The prime minister has time only for foreigners, but has no time to meet us farmers.'
A three-judge bench headed by Justice BR Gavai sought a report from the Cauvery Water Management Authority on the amount of water released by Karnataka, after additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati informed the court that a meeting of the authority is scheduled for Monday.
The protests, which erupted after the Supreme Court refused to interfere with orders of the Cauvery Water Management Authority and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee directing the state to release 5,000 cusecs of water to neighbouring Tamil Nadu, have intensified.
The Tamil Nadu government welcomed the decision, hailing it as a 'grand victory for the 'Amma (Jayalalithaa) government' and the state's farmers'.
'The Cauvery is not dependable as Karnataka will never consider our needs.'
The petition stated that the proposed project would affect the flow of the river Cauvery considerably and will severely affect the irrigation in Cauvery basin of Tamil Nadu.
Verifiable 'distress-sharing' of available water may still be the way out of the Cauvery water row, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
This article traces the history of the DMK's fight for state autonomy, beginning with C.N. Annadurai's advocacy in the 1960s and culminating in M. Karunanidhi's resolution in the Tamil Nadu Assembly in 1974. The article highlights the key figures involved, the arguments presented, and the impact of the Rajamannar Committee Report.
Jayalalithaa, recuperating at a corporate hospital in Chennai, said she could not attend the meeting as she was hospitalised.
The Congress leadership should have immediately called on the Karnataka chief minister to implement the Supreme Court order and crack down on the violence, says R Rajagopalan.
As many as 44 flights to and from the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru were cancelled owing to the Karnataka bandh over the Cauvery water sharing issue with Tamil Nadu, airport authorities said.
Kamal has a crisp pen when it comes to writing short and yet powerful film dialogues. But while speaking ex tempore -- and that has been his style -- he looks every bit a confused man, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
The court said the authorities are required to ensure peace till it peruses the draft scheme and finalises it for proper distribution of Cauvery water.
A bandh to protest against the release of Cauvery waters to Tamil Nadu has brought Karnataka to a standstill on Friday
He however said: "Several advantageous features for Tamil Nadu find place in the verdict."
The top court directed the Secretary of the Union water resources ministry to personally appear before it on May 14 with a draft of the Cauvery management scheme to implement its verdict on water sharing between four states including Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
