Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has written to the Prime Minister urging him to stall proposals by Karnataka government to rehabilitate and renovate Arkavathy River and Hemavathy canals in the Cauvery River Basin, and has urged the Central government to ensure that the final order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal be implemented at the earliest.
In her letter to Mr. Manmohan Singh on Wednesday, Ms. Jayalalithaa objected to proposals of the Karnataka government to restore Arkavathy river and remodel Hemavathy canals, stating that such efforts might lead to increased drawing of water that could potentially impact the quantum of water allocated to the State in the final order on Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal.
Ms. Jayalalithaa noted that Cauvery Neeravari Nigama Limited, a government of Karnataka enterprise, had placed advertisements inviting expression of interest for the restoration and rejuvenation of river Arkavathy under the National River Conservation Project and National Watershed Development and for the modernisation of Hemavathy Canals under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme.
She pointed out that the Supreme Court had formed a pro tem committee to monitor the implementation of the final order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal. “It is shocking that Karnataka, in utter disregard of the final order of the Tribunal, is proceeding with new modernisation schemes in the Cauvery basin. The Government of Karnataka should not, therefore be allowed to take up any new schemes not contemplated in the final order or any other schemes in the Cauvery Basin till the formation of the Cauvery Management Board,” she wrote.
Ms. Jayalalithaa also pointed out that she had repeatedly written to the Prime Minister urging him to order the Ministry of Water Resources to constitute the Cauvery Management Board and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee for ensuring the effective implementation of the final order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal.
