File review petition, HDK tells Siddu government

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: J D(S) legislature party leader HD Kumaraswamy on Thursday blamed the State government’s handling of the Cauvery water sharing with Tamil Nadu for the Supreme Court (SC) order upholding the direction to release 5,000 cusecs (cubic foot per second) of water to Tamil Nadu for the next 15 days.

The former Chief Minister demanded that the CM Siddaramaiah-led administration file another review petition.

“The authority ordered that 5,000 cusecs of water be released every day. The Supreme Court has upheld it. However, when the relevant authority had passed the order, the government had released water at the speed of light. Now, they’re throwing up their hands saying the SC has asked us to release water and that they can’t do anything about it. Immediately, file a review petition in the court,” Kumaraswamy said.

The JD(S) leader pointed out that a mere 20 tmcft (thousand million cubic feet) was left in KRS Dam, adding that is 5,000 cusecs is released every day for the next 15 days, 7 tmcft would be drained from the reservoir, leaving behind only 13 tmcft, which is the drinking water requirement for Bengaluru for the next nine months.

He said that 7 tmcft was the dead storage level, meaning the stored water would become useless, adding that this would leave no water for crops in the state.

HDK also blamed AICC president Mallikar jun Kharge for not speaking about the Cauvery issue while JD(S) national president HD Deve Gowda had.

He also reiterated the allegation that Congress had a political understanding with panIndia Opposition alliance partner DMK, which was the ruling party in Tamil Nadu.