Stalin condemns K’taka’s stance on Cauvery, convenes all-party meet on July 16
Chennai: Expressing strong condemnation of the Karnataka government’s stance on releasing Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister MK Stalin announced on Monday that all legislative parties in Tamil Nadu will convene on Tuesday at the secretariat to determine the next steps.
However, the meeting will be chaired by Water Resources Minister Duraimurugan instead of the Chief Minister. Legal experts will also be consulted on the next move, as stated by the Chief Minister in a press release.
In his statement, CM Stalin highlighted that the Supreme Court had established the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) to enforce the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal and the SC. Nevertheless, the Karnataka government’s failure to comply with these directives last year caused significant hardship for Tamil Nadu farmers, prompting the state government to seek intervention from the Apex Court.
The CWRC has directed Karnataka to release one TMC of water per day between July 12 and 31 to Tamil Nadu, taking into account the inflow into Karnataka’s dams due to the southwest monsoon.
“However, the Karnataka government’s refusal to release this quantity of water is shocking and violates the SC order. Consequently, the Tamil Nadu government has written to the CWMA, urging immediate enforcement of the committee’s directive,” the CM stated.
As of Monday, the total storage level in Karnataka’s four dams stands at 75.586 TMC. According to the meteorological department’s forecast, Karnataka’s rainfall during the southwest monsoon is expected to be normal. Meanwhile, the Mettur Dam’s storage level is just 13.808 TMC.
“In this context, Karnataka’s refusal to release water as per the CWRC’s directive is a betrayal of Tamil Nadu’s farmers,” CM Stalin added.
