Bengaluru: Scotching the rumours that the state’s legal team that is fighting the Mahadayi case had advised not to go for a higher appeal, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said that the state government will file an appeal before the Supreme Court, questioning the interim verdict given by the Mahdayi river water dispute tribunal.
Mr Siddaramaiah told reporters at his home office, Krishna, “The state government has held detailed talks with the state legal team, headed by Fali S. Nariman, and based on his team’s advice the state government is going for the appeal. This is not the state government’s decision alone, but also the state legal team’s.”
He said Water Resource Minister M.B. Patil was deputed to hold talks with the state legal team, which advised him to file an appeal before the apex court. “The team has almost completed the work on the draft appeal too,” he said.
On the impending Cauvery water crisis, he said that the state government is prepared to fight a legal battle in the Supreme Court to protect the state’s interests.
“we have not completely stopped water to Tamil Nadu. But under acute distress, the Tamil Nadu government should also be more accommodating. Had the state received normal rainfall, we would have had the water reserve of 114 tmcft in KRS alone.
But present situation is not like that and none of our reservoirs are full, especially in the Cauvery river basin. If we receive rainfall, we will certainly oblige and release water to them,” he said, and ruled out any possibility of holding conciliatory talks with his Tamil Nadu counterpart.
He clarified that the government will not go for cloud seeding at this juncture. “We have held discussions with experts, and most of them felt that cloud seeding at this juncture will not bear required results. We have dropped this idea, though the cabinet had approved it two weeks ago,” he said.
