“The state government acted hastily in filing the interim application before the Mahadayi tribunal just to pacify the agitators. Now, it has no option but to file a review petition in the Supreme Court and wait for its verdict.
It could have been saved all this if it had appealed for an early final verdict of the tribunal and not an interim order. Also, it failed to inform the tribunal properly about its planned irrigation projects and the severity of the drinking water problem in north Karnataka.
The agitators will run out of patience if we depend too much on legal remedies as this involves a lengthy process. The Mahadayi tribunal, set up in 2012, took four years to give its interim order. If we continue on this path, the farmers will not get justice when they need it and the tenure of the tribunal will simply be extended for years.
Our Constitution has never said that such disputes cannot be resolved through mutual negotiation outside the purview of the law.
It is upto elected representatives to give meaning to the Constitution by acting in its true spirit. While several Prime Ministers have set a precedent by resolving inter-state water disputes through negotiation, the Congress and the BJP continue to indulge in a blame game to politicise the issue.
It is high time that leaders across party lines came together to find an amicable solution to the dispute. They should exert pressure on the high commands of their respective parties to resolve the Mahadayi dispute and Prime Minister Narendra Modi must take a lead role in bringing relief to the drought-hit farmers of nine taluks in four districts of the state.
Also, a special session of the state legislature should be convened to discuss the issue. If the government doesn’t show the political will necessary to back them now, the agitators will be forced to step up their protest. Farmers will boycott all programmes of elected representatives and political parties until their demands are met.
(B.D. Hiremath is the President of the Dharwad High Court Bar Association)
