The Karnataka government on Saturday said the guidelines drawn up by the Centre in formulating the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) were “not acceptable” and they need to be corrected.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the pre-budget meeting with various departments of the State on Saturday, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy said the Centre issued a gazette notification on the formation of the authority and the committee and did its work in accordance with the Supreme Court’s directions.
“Karnataka is not against formation of the CWMA, but we are opposing certain provisions in the scheme and the same was discussed with the Prime Minister and the Water Resources Minister. Now, we feel our rights have been snatched and we will take it up with the Centre again,” Mr. Kumaraswamy said.
During the meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this week, Mr. Kumaraswamy said instructions from the CWMA such as asking Karnataka to release water every 10 days and what crops should be grown by farmers would go against the interests of the State. He also demanded discussion on the subject in Parliament.
The Centre on Friday notified the formation of the CWMA and the CWRC, which will include representatives of the riparian States of Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry. Members of three States, other than Karnataka, have been finalised.
The notification said the committee would meet once in 10 days during June and October when the southwest and the northeast monsoon set in. The meeting will be held at least once a fortnight but the committee will have powers to convene meetings as often as necessary. In case of any exigency, a minimum of 48-hour notice will be given for holding a meeting.
Authority’s mandate
The authority’s mandate is to regulate the storage, apportionment of the Cauvery waters, supervision of operation of reservoirs, and regulation of water release with the assistance of the committee.
“The State has not violated any provisions of the (Cauvery Water Disputes) Tribunal in the past. We have respected the federal structure,” the Chief Minister said.
The Chief Minister pointed out that technical problems in the implementation of water-sharing formula has not been addressed by the Centre and the “mistakes” in the guidelines need to be corrected.
“We are a law-abiding State. This should not be construed as our weakness. I will write to the Centre to correct the mistakes in the guidelines,” he asserted. He, however, said appointment of the committee and the authority was under the court’s directions and there was a “remote chance” of changing it. But Karnataka will explore all issues that run against the State’s interest legally and politically, he said.
“We will discuss the issue with the Advocate-General and take future course of action,” he said. “By finalising the guidelines of the authority and the committee, the Centre has taken away Karnataka’s rights on water as an upper riparian State. This needs to be corrected. We will pursue this matter again and again with the Union government,” he said.