Cauvery: Karnataka takes Assembly route to defy Supreme Court

A special session of Karnataka Assembly will be held on Friday to take a call on the Supreme Court’s direction to the state to release 6,000 cusecs of Cauvery water a day to Tamil Nadu, a move that may set the state on a collision course with the judiciary.

The Cauvery water sharing issue has been a source of tension and violence between the two states. One person was killed in police firing during protests in Bengaluru about 10 days ago and one person died after immolating himself in Chennai.

Ahead of the special session, Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah met Union water resources minister Uma Bharti in Delhi, a day after the Cabinet decided to defer the release of water amid an escalating row between the two states. “It is difficult for us to release water. Already as per the Supreme Court order we have released 12,000 cusecs for 14 days. There is no water in our reservoirs. What is remaining in four reservoirs is only 26 TMC water, whereas we need 27 TMC to supply drinking water to Mandya, Mysuru, Bengaluru and nearby areas,” he told reporters in Delhi after meeting Bharti.

The Cauvery Supervisory Committee had on September 19 asked Karnataka to release 3,000 cusecs per day from September 21 to 30, but the apex court had on September 20 doubled the quantum to 6,000 cusecs from September 21 to 27 after Tamil Nadu pressed for water to save its samba paddy crop.