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.
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.
Amid criticism and protests against the government over allegations that Cauvery water was being released from Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) dam to Tamil Nadu, he clarified that the discharge was meant for Bengaluru, and not for the neighbouring state.
A bench headed by Justice R M Lodha, which three-days back had allowed release of 2 TMC water, increased by 0.44 TMC the amount of water to be provided to Tamil Nadu on the recommendation of the Central Water Commission (CWC).
The water was being released from Kabini reservoir.
'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.'
Jayalalithaa, recuperating at a corporate hospital in Chennai, said she could not attend the meeting as she was hospitalised.
The opposition Congress and Janata Dal Secular on Tuesday made a forceful plea in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly against notification of the 2007 Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal award, underlining that the move would amount to grave injustice to the State's interests.
Upping the ante against Karnataka for its refusal to release Cauvery water, Tamil Nadu has decided to file a contempt petition in Supreme Court besides seeking a direction for setting up two regulatory bodies to implement the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal's final award.
There has been constant friction between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu on the Cauvery waters issue, which assumes sharp political tones quite often which is often resolved by the bounty of monsoons.
The Cauvery monitoring committee, headed by Water Resources Secy DV Singh, met on Monday morning.
Several activists of pro-Kannada organisations were also whisked away by the police at Town Hall, as they gathered there to stage a protest.
Life came to a virtual standstill in Bengaluru and in Cauvery basin districts as protests spearheaded by Kannada outfits over release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu swept through the region during the dawn-to-dusk bandh on Saturday.
Tamil Nadu doesn't need water from Cauvery River as it is already receiving excess water from Karnataka due to heavy north-east rains. This is what the Karnataka government is set to argue when it responds to the Tamil Nadu government's contempt plea filed over the Cauvery River water sharing issue in the Supreme Court.
The Centre is playing politics and is more worried about its poll prospects in Karnataka than following the apex court order, says lawyers representing Tamil Nadu.
The Tamil Nadu government has approached the Supreme Court seeking around Rs 2,500 crore from Karnataka for loss of crops due to non-release of Cauvery water during the irrigation year 2012-13 as per the interim award of the Cauvery water disputes tribunal
The Supreme Court on Monday directed Karnataka to release 2 TMC (Thousand Million Cubic feet) of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu and asked the Central Water Commission to file report on the water requirement of the two warring states.
The Cauvery Supervisory Committee had on September 19 asked Karnataka to release 3,000 cusecs per day but the Apex Court had on September 20 doubled the quantum.
Even as Karnataka continues to release water to Tamil Nadu as per the directive of the Cauvery River Waters Authority, all the members of Legislative Assembly from the Janata Dal-Secular have tendered their resignations against this move by the Karnataka government.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and insisted on demands pertaining to the state, including on Fair Recovery Price of sugarcane, All India Institute of Medical Sciences for Raichur, the release of flood relief among others.
Suspected pro-Tamil protesters attacked and damaged a hotel run by a native of Karnataka in Chennai.
Protests against release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu snowballed in the river basin areas on Thursday, as a central team arrived in Bangalore to assess the water storage levels.
Verifiable 'distress-sharing' of available water may still be the way out of the Cauvery water row, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
This follows Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's refusal to accept Karnataka's offer of 1,200 cusecs of water daily till February.
Amid a row over Cauvery water sharing, Karnataka will file a review petition on Tuesday before Cauvery River Authority after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made it clear that only the authority can revisit the decision about the state releasing water to Tamil Nadu.
The verdict brings an end to the 16-year-old dispute but fears of violence loom large.
Despite day-long discussions, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu failed to reach an agreement on the quantum of water to be released.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's efforts to resolve the Cauvery water-sharing row between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka failed on Wednesday with both states refusing to accept the ruling and Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa declaring that the state would move the Supreme Court seeking justice
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.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and her Karnataka counterpart Jagadish Shettar will meet in Bangalore on Thursday in an effort to find a solution to the Cauvery water sharing row. The meeting comes after the Supreme Court on Monday asked both the chief ministers to meet and arrive at an amicable solution to the "sensitive" water dispute.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Friday said her government was making all efforts to uphold the rights of the state on the Cauvery water-sharing issue and hoped it would get justice from the Supreme Court.
Lambasting the Karnataka government for "stopping" the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, key United Progressive Alliance ally Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam on virtually demanded imposition of Central rule in the neighbouring state so as to "teach a lesson to stone-hearted" regimes on inter-state issues.
In good news for farmers of Cauvery delta region in Tamil Nadu facing a grim crop situation due to drought like condition, Karnataka has released over 12,000 cusecs of water into the inter-state river with the Kabini dam surplusing following heavy rains in its catchment areas.
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.
The apex court directed the two states to ensure there is no violence, agitation, destruction and damage to properties following its order on Cauvery water sharing and asked them to maintain peace, calm and dignity for law.
The authorities have issued flood alert to the people living in the low lying areas and also along river banks in as many as nine districts.
Considering that the Supreme Court has now included two, rather three, new variable to the tribunal's findings, it could imply that whenever the current order comes in for review, the two states could raise specific issues flowing from them, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
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.
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.
