Cauvery Verdict LIVE: 'Very Disappointing', Says Rajinikanth After SC Reduces Quantum of Water for Tamil Nadu

Rajinikanth tweet on Cauvery judgment.

காவிரி நீர் பங்கீட்டில் உச்சநீதிமன்றத்தின் இறுதி தீர்ப்பு தமிழக விவசாயிகளின் வாழ்வாதாரத்தை மேலும் பாதிப்பதாக உள்ளதால் மிகுந்த ஏமாற்றமளிக்கிறது.மறு பரிசீலனை மனு தாக்கல் செய்ய தமிழகஅரசு நடவடிக்கை எடுக்க வேண்டும்.

— Rajinikanth (@superstarrajini) February 16, 2018

RAJINI UNHAPPY | 'Superstar' Rajinikanth today said the Supreme Court verdict reducing the quantum of water to Tamil Nadu from Cauvery river was "very disappointing" and urged the state government to file a review petition. "Since the final verdict by the Supreme Court on the Cauvery water sharing amounts to further affecting the livelihood of the farmers in Tamil Nadu, it is very disappointing," he said in a tweet. The actor, who has announced that he will soon make the political plunge, further said that the Tamil Nadu government should take steps to file a review petition on the matter.

Contempt plea against Siddaramaiah closed.

Contempt plea against #Karnataka CM #Siddaramaiah closed by SC in view of the main judgment in #Cauvery case. pic.twitter.com/VWJRli1ebC

— Utkarsh Anand (@utkarsh_aanand) February 16, 2018

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah says, "Our demands have been met. Now it is the Centre's job to implement the Supreme Court ruling."

Karnataka state buses that were restricted in their plying ahead of the Cauvery verdict, are slowly resuming services.

SC CAUVERY CHRONOLOGY (continued)

JULY 14, 2017: SC says it would take a balanced view, keeping in mind the interests of the people of both the States. Karnataka sought a reduction in the quantum of Cauvery water it should release to TN from 192 tmcft to 132 tmcft.

SEPTEMBER 20: Supreme Court reserves verdict.

FEBRUARY 16, 2018: SC pronounces final verdict, directs Karnataka to release 404.25 tmcft annually to TN which was earlier awarded 419 tmcft water by CWDT. Karnataka to now get enhanced 14.75 tmcft, i.e. 284.75 tmcft water.

Supreme Court says its verdict on Cauvery water allocation will continue for next 15 years.

SC CAUVERY CHRONOLOGY (continued)

NOVEMBER 18, 2015: Karnataka objects to TN’s plea to release Cauvery water. Karnataka government tells SC that TN’s demand for release of 45.32 tmcft of Cauvery water proceeds from a wholly erroneous premise that the water year of 2015-16 in the Cauvery basin is a “normal year” and not a “distress year”.

SEPTEMBER 2, 2016: SC asks Karnataka to consider taking steps to release Cauvery water to TN.

SEPTEMBER 5: SC directs Karnataka to release 15,000 cusecs of Cauvery water per day to TN for next 10 days.

SEPTEMBER 7: Karnataka begins releasing Cauvery water to TN as per SC order.

SEPTEMBER 11: Karnataka files plea to modify SC order directing it to share water with TN.

SEPTEMBER 12: SC refuses plea by Karnataka to freeze the September 5 order. SC, however, reduces the quantum of daily water release ordered earlier, from 15,000 cusecs to 12,000 cusecs.

SEPTEMBER 19: CSC orders Karnataka to release 3,000 cubic feet of water per second (cusecs) for the rest of the month.

SC CAUVERY CHRONOLOGY (continued)

MARCH 19, 2013: Tamil Nadu government moves Supreme Court to give directions to Water Ministry for constitution of Cauvery Management Board (CMB).

MAY 10: Supreme Court directs Centre to set up panel to supervise Cauvery water release.

MAY 28: Tamil Nadu moves Supreme Court, seeks Rs 2,480 cr damages from Karnataka for not following orders of the CWDT.

JUNE 12: Cauvery Supervisory Committee (CSC) terms the TN's plea for directions to Karnataka for release of Cauvery water as per the CWDT award as not “feasible”.

JUNE 14: TN decides to file contempt plea against Karnataka for its stand on the Cauvery Supervisory Committee.

JUNE 26: TN moves SC for constitution of CMB.

JUNE 28: TN files contempt petition in the SC against Karnataka.

SC CAUVERY CHRONOLOGY (continued)

AUGUST 1998: Centre constitutes Cauvery River Authority (CRA) to ensure implementation of CWDT interim award.

SEPTEMBER 8, 2002: CRA, chaired by the then Prime Minister A B Vajpayee, directs Karnataka to release 9,000 cusecs (0.8 tmcft) of Cauvery water to TN.

FEBRUARY 5, 2007: CWDT gives final award after 17 years. Tribunal holds as valid the two agreements of 1892 and 1924 executed between the Madras Presidency and the princely State of Mysore on the apportionment of water to TN.

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012: At the seventh CRA, then PM Manmohan Singh directs Karnataka to release 9,000 cusecs of Cauvery water to TN at Biligundlu dam.

SEPTEMBER 28, 2012: SC slams Karnataka government for not complying with PM's direction at the CRA.

SC CAUVERY CHRONOLOGY

The original agreement on water sharing, which was signed between the Madras Presidency and the princely State of Mysore in 1924, had lapsed in 1974.

MAY 1990: SC directs Centre to constitute Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal (CWDT), a demand made by Tamil Nadu since 1970.

JUNE 2, 1990: Centre notifies CWDT.

JANUARY 1991: CWDT rejects Tamil Nadu government's plea for interim relief. TN appeals the rejection in Supreme Court.

APRIL 1991: Supreme Court directs the CWDT to entertain TN's petition for interim relief.

JUNE 1991: CWDT announces interim award. Karnataka ordered to release 205 tmcft. Karnataka passes an Ordinance to nullify the order. SC intervenes, strikes down Karnataka's ordinance and upholds the interim award of the CWDT. Karnataka refuses to oblige.

DECEMBER 1991: Interim award is published in the Government of India gazette.

OPPOSITION PROMISES MORE | BS Yeddyurappa tweets, "The demand for water is only going to increase in the coming years. When BJP comes to power, we shall work towards increasing the Green Cover in western ghats. It is important to preserve & increase the forest cover of Kodagu to ensure the rejuvenation of Cauvery."

The demand for water is only going to increase in the coming years. When BJP comes to power, we shall work towards increasing the Green Cover in western ghats. It is important to preserve & increase the forest cover of Kodagu to ensure the rejuvenation of Cauvery. #CauveryVerdict

— B.S. Yeddyurappa (@BSYBJP) February 16, 2018

PUDUCHERRY CM REACTS | Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy today hailed the 'historic' Supreme Court verdict on sharing of Cauvery water saying it ensured the Union Territory would continue to receive 7 tmcft for Karaikal region lying at the tail-end of the river basin. Addressing reporters along with PWD Minister A Namassivayam, he said the verdict ensuring continued availability of 7 tmcft of water for Karaikal "is in line with the award of the Cauvery River Water Dispute Tribunal in 2007 as the allocation remains unchanged."

During the course of the pendency of appeals of the neighbouring states against the arbitral award of 2007, the Supreme Court had passed several orders directing Karnataka to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu. On September 30, 2016, it had pulled up Karnataka for its repeated "defiance" in flouting its orders on the issue and said no one would know when the "wrath of the law" would fall on it. Later, Karnataka had moved a review petition in the apex court against its three orders on the issue and direction to the Centre to create the Cauvery Water Management Board (CWMB). It said "grave miscarriage of justice" was caused to it following the three apex court orders of September 20, 27 and 30, 2016, by which it was directed to release water. Tamil Nadu had earlier as well alleged that Kerala was drawing water in excess of what was allocated to it by the tribunal. The apex court had on December 9, 2016 upheld the maintainability of appeals filed by the riparian states, saying it has the "jurisdiction to decide the parameters, scope, authority and jurisdiction of the tribunal". The court had rejected the Centre's objection that the CWDT award amounted to a final decree and it had no jurisdiction to hear the appeals against the award.

The AIADMK today said its government would continue efforts to get adequate share of Cauvery water. AIADMK MP M Navaneethakrishnan said the state government would continue its efforts for getting a fair share of Cauvery water. "Our government will continue its fight to get adequate water for Tamil Nadu," he told PTI over phone. He urged the Centre to immediately constitute the Cauvery Management Board as the first step. Government sources here said the AIADMK government was studying the verdict and the chief minister would make a statement in this regard.

The Supreme Court in its 465 page cauvery verdict said that “It is condign to adopt an approach which is neither broad nor narrow but an 'intermediary one', especially having regard to the nature of the dispute that involves the inhabitants of three States and a Union Territory." 

The Supreme Court delivered a 465-page judgment in the case. The apex court called Karnataka 'more deserving' of additional waters and said the state faced constraints due to limited access despite being the upper riparian state. On the drinking water issue in Bengaluru, SC said, "Inconceivable to have an artificial boundary and deny the population the primary need of drinking water." SC gave central government six weeks to frame a scheme for implementing courts orders in allocation of water. It has said that the need-based monthly release be respected. "No extension shall be granted for framing of the scheme on any ground. There will be proportionate decrease in monthly release of water to Tamil Nadu but on the same pattern as evolved by the tribunal," said the verdict.

"There should be unity between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, only then can we think of river-linking projects. People using this verdict to score political points are wrong. Even though we have been given less water, we must find ways to save it," says Kamal Haasan on the Cauvery water dispute verdict.

"We are highly disappointed by the verdict. Cauvery in Tamil Nadu takes care of drinking water in 19 districts. It's due to the inefficiencies of the Dravidian parties in the handling of the Cauvery issue that this injustice has been meted out to the farmers and people of Tamil Nadu. This verdict should be appealed. This was a three-judge bench. We can approach a five-judge bench," says PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss.

CM Siddaramaiah has announced an incentive of Rs 3 Lakh for a Scheduled Caste boy marrying a girl from any other caste and Rs 5 Lakh for a SC girl marrying a boy from another caste during the Karnataka Assembly Budget 2018.

The verdict upheld the validity of the two pre-independence agreements signed between the then Government of Madras (Tamil Nadu) and the then Government of Mysore (Karnataka) in 1892 and 1924.

Chairman and Managing Director of Biocon, India's largest Biotechnology company, tweeted, "Karnataka and Tamil Nadu must now work for river revival and micro-irrigation. Drinking water is a priority and I am pleased to see 4.5 TMC allocation to Bengaluru."

#cauveryverdict - Karnataka n Tamil Nadu must now work for river revival n micro-irrigation. Drinking water is priority n pleased to see 4.5TMC allocation to Bengaluru @CMofKarnataka @PMOIndia

— Kiran Mazumdar Shaw (@kiranshaw) February 16, 2018

"The verdict is great damage to Tamil Nadu farmers. However, the Karnataka government should provide the quantity of water allocated for the benefit of Tamil Nadu farmers. The central government must ensure it," says TTV Dinakaran.

Even though any judgment in interstate water dispute won't be fully satisfactory for all, Karnataka has more than one reason to smile after the Supreme Court verdict in the cauvery issue.

"The AIADMK government has lost the rights that Kalaignar had achieved in the Cauvery issue for Tamil Nadu. The state has been cheated. I urge CM E Palaniswami to call for an all-party meeting with farmers' association," says DMK working president MK Stalin.

Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah tweeted before presenting the state budget. He says he has changed the policy in favour of the poor and talked about taking forward the state's legacy of growth and enterprise, while also fulfilling the needs and aspirations of all state citizens. He added that he was guided by Basavanna, Ambedkar and Gandhi:

Looking forward to presenting my 13th Budget as CM/FM.

It has been a great journey of 4 decades as a farmer’s leader, as a Kannada Activitist, as a Minister, as a Leader of Opposition & as CM

Have changed policy in favor of the poor.

There is more to do.#KayakaveKailasa

— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) February 16, 2018

In the past 5 years, our Govt has taken forward the state’s legacy of growth & enterprise, while also fulfilling the needs & aspirations of all our citizens. This year too, we are committed to take this forward with the #NavaKarnatakaBudget2018

— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) February 16, 2018

Today when I rise before the Legislature - our own Anubhava Mantapa - I picture the last person who needs a help, the farmer who needs hope & the girl who has a dream.

In responding to their aspirations I am guided by Basavanna, Ambedkar & Gandhi.#NavaKarnatakaBudget2018

— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) February 16, 2018

Ranganathan, the Secretary of the Cauvery Delta Farmers Association has been involved with the river water dispute since the 1970s.

"Happy with today's verdict. We welcome it. Police deployment was kept for safety. No disturbances have been noticed," said Karnataka Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy.

"The verdict is welcome as far as Bengaluru is concerned but we are not happy with a board being formed. When there is water, we can give, but we should not be pressurised to do so if we don't have water. These boards should not force us," says Congress leader DK Shivakumar.

Commuters are facing inconvenience at Karnataka-TN border:

Commuters face inconvenience at Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border; say, 'transporters are not willing to cross border & are not even returning the money of tickets' #CauveryVerdict pic.twitter.com/e7MD8p5ywA

— ANI (@ANI) February 16, 2018