Respect federal rules, release 18000 cusecs: SC to Karnataka

The Supreme Court (SC) has directed Karnataka to release 6,000 cusecs water per day for three days to Tamil Nadu. It will hold the next hearing on the Cauvery water-sharing issue on September 30.

 

The SC bench, comprising Justice Deepak Misra and Justice Uday Umesh Lalith, has directed Karnataka to discuss the issue and come to a conclusion within two days, before the next hearing begins at Friday 2 pm.

 

The SC directed Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi to conduct a meeting of officers concerned from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka and to arrive at a conclusion before the next hearing. 

 

Advocate Fali S Nariman, representing Karnataka, had tried to convince the SC that Karnataka was not flouting any rules, but as of now, the state was not in a position to release water immediately as currently the state only possessed sufficient water to supply drinking water to the people of Karnataka.

 

He argued that the state would follow the court’s decision by the end of November as there is a chance that Karnataka might receive some rains by then.

 

The Court, however, set aside that argument, saying that the decision of the Karnataka Assembly to use the water from its reservoirs as drinking water supply did not come in the way of implementing the Supreme Court’s order. 

 

"It is a different issue altogether," said the Court. However, SC ruled that “We are in a federal system. Both the states should respect the federal rules.”

 

Tamil Nadu's advocates had requested the Court not to hear Karnataka’s argument, as the state had not followed its verdict. But the Court disagreed with this application. 

 

Earlier, a joint session of the Karnataka Assembly took a unanimous decision that Cauvery water will be used for drinking purpose only. 

 

The Assembly proclaimed that since there was not enough water to provide for cultivation in Karnataka itself, it was not possible to release water for agriculture to Tamil Nadu.