PM can decide on Cauvery river dispute: SC

mangaloretoday.com/ ITV

New Delhi, Oct 8: The Supreme Court Monday clarified that its Sep 28 order directing Karnataka to implement Cauvery River Authority’s (CRA) order to release 9,000 cusecs of river water will not come in the way of the prime minister taking a decision on the application seeking review of the order to release water to Tamil Nadu.

 

The apex court bench of Justice D.K Jain and Justice Madan B. Lokur, while clarifying, said: "Our order of Sep 28 shall not in anyway be an impediment in the way of chairman CRA (Prime Minister) to take decision on review application by the Karnataka government."
The prime minister is the  ex-officio chairman of CRA.

However, Justice Jain, pointing to the ongoing protest in Karnataka, told senior counsel Fali Nariman, who is heading Karnataka’s legal team on the issue, that "all these agitations don’t serve any purpose. Sometimes they may spoil a good case".

The Supreme Court Sep 28 had directed Karnataka to release 9,000 cusecs of Cauvery river water everyday to Tamil Nadu. Protests erupted in parts of the state against the court decision.

The prime minister as the head of CRA, in his Sep 19 order, had asked Karnataka to release 9,000 cusecs of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu from Sep 20 through to Oct 15. Since Karnataka did not obey the CRA ruling, the Supreme Court Sep 28 rapped the state and directed it to release the water.

Karnataka is releasing 9,000 cusecs to Tamil Nadu from Sep 29, a move which has led to daily protests in Bangalore and Cauvery basin districts of Mandya, Mysore and Chamarajanagar.


PM discusses Cauvery issue with Karnataka Cong leaders


New Delhi, Oct 8 :  Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today held consultations with Congress leaders from Karnataka on sharing of Cauvery waters with Tamil Nadu during which they told him about the “grim” situation in Karnataka.
External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, Labour Minister Mallikarjun Kharge, Minister of State for Railways K H Munniyappa along with Water Resources Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal met the Prime Minister at his South Block office here for a hour.

“We requested him to resolve the problem at the earliest...based on the report of the expert committee...He has to take a considered decision...The situation is very grim. That is why we have asked the Prime Minister to resolve the situation,” Kharge told reporters after the meeting.

He said the party leaders also explained to Singh the drinking water situation, particularly in Bangalore, Mandya, Hassan and Mysore as well as the standing crops which are facing water scarcity.

Asked about the interests of Tamil Nadu being taken into account, he said the Prime Minister will look into the interests of “everybody.”

“Rainy season is over in Cauvery basin in Karnataka.  Monsoon will begin in Tamil Nadu. The priority has to be drinking water, whichever is the state. The Cauvery Monitoring Committee (CMC) has to place the factual situation. Based on that the Prime Minister will take a decision,” Muniyappa said.

A central team is visiting the two states and is likely to return today. The team will report to CMC which is meeting on October 11 to decide on the quantity of water to be released by Karnataka after October 15.