Bommai stakes right to Cauvery share

Tirupati/Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj  Bommai on Sunday  asserted the state’s rights  on inter-state rivers such  as Cauvery, river linking  initiatives and related projects in a meet chaired by  Union Home Minister  Amit Shah and also batted  for joint survey.

Bommai said Karnataka should get its rightful  share in Cauvery, Krishna  and Pennar river basins  addressing the Southern  Zonal Council meet in  Tirupati.

Citing the Polavarm  project, a feature of which  is interlinking of Godavari and Krishna rivers,  he said Karnataka’s ‘rightful share’ should be ensured through avenues  like substitution as river  Krishna flows to a large  extent in Karnataka and  similarly, Cauvery originated and flowed across  the state.

“However the Detailed  Project Report (DPR) that  has been envisaged by National Water Development  Agency doesn’t even give  one TMC of the rightful  share of water.” “Therefore we strongly plead that  while making a final DPR,  our rightful share in Cauvery-Krishna-Pennar basin is restored,” he said.

Taking exception to the  Cauvery-Vagai-Gundar  link project, he said,  “though the shares of cobasin states have not been  decided, Tamil Nadu is going ahead with the CVG  link, which is inadmissible in law.” Karnataka had  urged the Centre in its letter on February 17, 2021  not to approve the proposal of Tamil Nadu for taking up of CVG Link as an  advance action in anticipation of the realisation  of the Godavari-KrishnaPennar-Cauvery-VaigaiGundar Link project.

“The sharing of water  of all the riparian states,  that is Karnataka ,  Andhra, Puducherry, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, has to  be decided before Tamil  Nadu takes up its CVG  Link. We have already requested the government  of India in this regard. I  request the Home Minister to look into the matter  and give justice to all the  southern states,” the CM  said.Bommai demanded  that no statutory clearances be given to large scale  per manent projects,  planned for utilising surplus waters in violation of  Water Tribunal Awards.

He raised objection to  the lift irrigation projects  at Palamuru, Rangareddy  and Nakkalagandi (Telangana), to draw large quantity of remaining surplus  water. The CM also opposed the Rajiv Gandhi  Sangam Banda barrage by  Telangana “as it will utilise the remaining water  in the guise of savings  which will come for review in 2050.” If remaining water is allowed to be  utilised by the downstream states by way of  permanent projects, Karnataka will be affected  during its claims for an  equitable share in 2050,  Bommai claimed.