The Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) on Monday adopted a resolution to urge the State government to reserve 4.5 tmcft of water to meet the drinking water requirements of the city and surrounding villages till June next year.
During a special council meeting convened on Monday to discuss the State legislature’s resolution to defer release of Cauvery waters to Tamil Nadu, Mayor B.L. Bhyrappa said Mysuru and its surrounding villages require 0.5 tmcft of drinking water every month.
MCC also adopted a resolution to support the State’s decision to move the Supreme Court seeking more time to release water to Tamil Nadu, with councillors cutting across party lines endorsing the Siddaramaiah government’s stand.
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While the Leader of the Opposition in the MCC, J.S. Jagadish of the Congress, said Karnataka can ill afford to release Cauvery waters to Tamil Nadu when the State barely has enough water to meet its drinking water requirements, councillor Girish Prasad said the State, which had obeyed the Supreme Court order and released water earlier, was now justified in its refusal to do so any longer.
BJP councillor Nandeesh Preetham accused Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa of forcing Karnataka and Tamil Nadu into a confrontation for her political gains. Describing the State legislature’s stand as “historic”, Mr. Preetham emphasised the need for formulating a national water policy that could resolve both the Cauvery and Mahadayi issue, among others.
Former Mayor R. Lingappa, who also belongs to the JD (S), recalled the sacrifices of the erstwhile Maharaja Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar and his mother Kempananjammanni in the construction of the KRS reservoir. “They sold their jewels to raise funds for constructing the dam. It is unfortunate that the people of the region have no right over the water stored in the dam,” he said.
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Former Mayor Ayub Khan too welcomed the State government’s decision but added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should have intervened and bailed out Karnataka.