Cauvery Dispute: Amid Bengaluru Bandh, Karnataka Turns Down Tamil Nadu's Request For More Water

While Bengaluru observes a bandh on Tuesday, farmers in Thanjavur held a 'Rail Roko' protest over Cauvery water-sharing issue on Tuesday.

Amid the ongoing protests in Bengaluru against the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, Cauvery Water Regulation Committee met on Tuesday to decide on the water-sharing row between the two states. During the meeting, while Tamil Nadu urged the neighbouring state to provide 12,500 cusecs of water, Karnataka said that it was not in a position to release any water from its reservoirs. 

During the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) meeting on Tuesday, Tamil Nadu in its opening remarks in the meeting urged CWRS to release 12,500 cusecs. However, Karnataka said it is not in a position to release any water from its reservoirs or contribute any flows from its reservoirs to the flows to be maintained at the interstate border Biligundlu, as per ANI.

 

Karnataka Deputy CM too reiterated that they would not release water. DK Shivakumar said, "The Cauvery Water Management Committee meeting is going on and the people of Tamil Nadu have demanded 12,500 cusecs of water. At present, we are in a situation where we cannot even release 5,000 cusecs of water. We will not release that much water because we don't have."

In Bengaluru, several farmer outfits and pro-Kannada organisations have called for a 12-hour 'bandh' or shutdown to protest against the decision of the Karnataka government to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu. The Bengaluru police have imposed Section 144 to avoid any untoward events in the city.

Meanwhile, farmers in Thanjavur held 'Rail Roko' protest over Cauvery water-sharing issue on Tuesday.