New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to constitute a bench to hear the Cauvery River water-sharing dispute case. The government of Tamil Nadu has approached the apex court seeking fresh directions on the release of water from Karnataka, claiming the neighbouring state has "changed its stand" and came forward to release only a reduced quantum of 8,000 cusecs of water as against 15,000 cusecs that was decided earlier, news agency PTI reported.
Earlier on August 11, Tamil Nadu Water Resources Minister Duraimurugan had said that the state had emphatically put forth its requirement but despite that, Karnataka changed its stand and said they would release only 8,000 cusecs of water, that too, till August 22.
The minister had said that earlier on August 10, the Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee, in a meeting had unanimously decided that 15,000 cusecs of water would be released by Karnataka each day for 15 days.
However, after Tamil Nadu approached the apex court, Karnataka Deputy CM D K Shivakumar, who is also in charge of the Water Resources department, said that Karnataka would release 10 tmc ft of water from the Cauvery basin to the neighbouring state. According to him, the state doesn't have sufficient water in dams to meet its requirements like drinking water and agriculture due to deficit monsoon.
On Friday, he informed that the Karnataka government wrote to the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) urging it to review the order asking the state to release 10,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu on a daily basis for the next 15 days.
It is to be noted the decision of the Tamil Nadu government to approach the top court comes days after CM Stalin wrote to PM Narendra Modi seeking his intervention to ask Karnataka to release Cauvery water immediately for Kuruvai cultivation.
“The Supreme Court fixed the share of water to be delivered to Tamil Nadu at Billigundulu, as per the monthly schedule. But unfortunately, Karnataka is not honouring the above order in letter and spirit and is also not adhering to the directions of Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA),” he wrote.