In an effort to negate the impression of defying the judiciary, the State legal team is on Monday expected to file an application before the Supreme Court and submit the legislature’s resolution on using waters from the Cauvery reservoirs only for drinking purpose. This is a day before scheduled hearing of the Cauvery dispute case between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka on Tuesday.
Official sources in the government told The Hindu on Saturday that the legal team will submit a copy of the resolution to the two-judge Bench of the Supreme Court. This is to inform the court “in advance” the inability of the State to follow its directive to release 6,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu from September 21 to 27.
The State legal team headed by Fali S. Nariman held a meeting in Delhi and prepared a strategy to be adopted before the apex court, which will hear the matter on September 27. In Bengaluru, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah held detailed discussions with Water Resources Minister M.B. Patil, officials of the department and the legal experts.
Government sources said the State would plead before the Supreme Court to apply the principle of “live and let live” to Karnataka to ensure drinking water to people residing in the Cauvery basin, including Bengaluru. All four reservoirs have 27.6 tmcft of water. A quantum of 24.11 tmcft of water was required for drinking water purposes of the State till the end of May 2017.
A special session of the Karnataka legislature, had on Friday, unanimously passed a resolution stating that “it is imperative for the State government to ensure” that no water is drawn from the four reservoirs in the Cauvery basin “except for drinking water requirements of villages and towns in the Cauvery basin and for the entire city of Bengaluru”.
The resolution means the Karnataka government has the backing of the State legislature to continue to refuse to implement the Supreme Court’s September 20 order. Sources said that with the backing of the BJP, the State government has decided to put pressure on the Modi government to not take steps to form the Cauvery Management Board as instructed by the apex court. The government was also planning to a take a delegation to the Centre asking it to safeguard the State’s interests by not constituting the board.
