It is a controversy not over the release of Cauvery water, but the allocation of ₹10 lakh by the State-controlled Cauvery Neeravari Nigam Ltd. for a ‘homa’ at the Talacauvery, where the river originates. The quest: a good monsoon after recurring drought for three years.
Officials insist that it is common to offer puja at reservoirs and the place of origin of rivers, but the criticism has now prompted Karnataka Water Resources Minister M.B. Patil, on Friday, to state that he would go ahead with the pooja with his own money and not take funds from the Nigama.
Mr. Patil said he was hurt by criticism over allocation of funds for the pooja. Such rituals were not unusual, as all governments performed them when the dams were full. He further clarified that the cost of the event may not cross ₹1 lakh.
Mr. Patil had on Friday visited Mahabaleshwar, a hill region in Maharashtra where the river Krishna originates, to offer a prayer along with his wife, and senior officials of the Water Resources Department.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, known for his rational outlook, tried to wriggle out of the row by stating that he was not aware of any plans to conduct homa and that the government had no role in such rituals. Mr. Siddarmiah is the chairperson of the Nigama . An earlier decision to set apart funds in the Nigama budget for a ‘homa’ at Talacauvery was opposed by some Cauvery region farmers’ leaders. Karnataka Sugarcane Growers’ Association President Kuruburu Shanthakumar said it was strange for the government or the Nigama to have a ritual now, as they had ‘prevented’ farmers from offering pooja to Kabini in 2015.
