Mahadayi waters: State to file Interim Application

Bengaluru: Karnataka government has decided to file an Interim Application(IA) before the Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal seeking release of 7.5 tmc ft of water for drinking purposes.

This decision was taken after a delegation led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and floor leaders of both the Houses met the state's senior counsel, Mr Fali S. Nariman, in Delhi on Monday. The delegation went to Delhi to personally meet Mr Nariman and to discuss the future course of action on the riparian dispute with Goa, following protest by the people of North Karnataka demanding filing of an IA before the tribunal.

Leader of Opposition in the State Legislative Assembly Jagadish Shettar told Deccan Chronicle from Delhi that “Mr Nariman initially did not favor filing IA but later agreed after the CM and other leaders explained to him the severe shortage of drinking water in some districts in N-K region. After hearing them, Mr Nariman gave his consent to file the IA before the tribunal.”

Mr Shettar said in all probability, the state government may file it within a week or ten days. It may be mentioned here that the people of N-K region were virtually on the warpath over inordinate delay in the implementation of Kalasa-Bandura drinking water scheme to provide drinking water to parched districts.

While Congress had been demanding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention, the BJP had been advising the legal course to get justice. Karnataka Water Resources Minister M.B. Patil, MLA and former Water Resources Minister Basavaraj Bommai, JD(S) Floor Leader in Legislative Council Basavaraj Horatti and Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council K.S. Eshwarappa were present.