Cauvery row: Narendra Modi can work out a formula, says TB Jayachandra

Bengaluru: While the state BJP seems sceptical about Karnataka reaching out to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene in the Cauvery issue, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T.B. Jayachandra believes he can help work out a distress formula that can be applied in years of poor rain to the benefit of all the states concerned.

The BJP has accused the Siddaramaiah government of playing politics by dragging Mr Modi into the issue when it was before the Supreme Court and he could do little to help. But speaking to Deccan Chronicle on Wednesday, Mr Jayachandra pointed out that the final order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT), notified in 2007, had made no mention about a distress formula and this had now become a bone of contention between Karnataka and TN during drought years. “The current calculation of the quantum of water to be released to Tamil Nadu is not scientific as it has not taken into account the scanty rain Karnataka has received. We have suffered every time the Tamil Nadu government has approached the court to seek release of Cauvery water,” he said.

Noting that states could only build tanks, dams and reservoirs, and it was the Centre which could come out with a national water policy to iron out differences over sharing of river water, he said courts could not come out with a permanent solution in such matters. “There have been disputes between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka and Tamil Nadu over sharing of river water, which the courts have not been able to resolve. And tribunal orders may or may not cheer all states. The real solution must come from the Union government if frequent skirmishes are to be avoided on this issue,” he asserted, adding, “ Although the monsoon has been getting poorer every year, Karnataka still has to release 192 tmc ft of water to Tamil Nadu in the absence of a distress formula. All these aspects have been questioned in the Supreme Court in a Special Leave Petition which is likely to come up for hearing on October 18.” Insisting that Mr Modi could intervene to work out a distress formula for Karnataka, TN, Kerala and Puducherry that could come into play in years of poor rain, he added, “As the CWDT final order is silent on this issue, the PM can definitely act as an arbitrator. This will not amount to contempt of court as claimed by BJP leaders. The Union government has a number of experts who can be of great use in matters of this nature. Besides, any decision taken by the Centre will be binding on all states concerned.”