Farmers, Irrigation Experts for Challenging Krishna Panel Award

From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore

Bangalore, Mar 25: Farmers from the Krishna river basin, irrigation experts and leaders of opposition parties, have urged the Karnataka government to challenge the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal award on sharing of Krishna waters among the riparian states of Karnataka, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh in the Supreme Court.

A meeting of all the three groups, which was held in Bangalore on Friday, felt the award was unjust to Karnataka and urged the state government to seek a clarification from the Tribunal keeping in mind the interests of people of the state.

The former minister and Congress leader H K Patil, who briefed the media after the meeting, said the State Government should either challenge the award in the Supreme Court or seek a clarification from the Tribunal.

''If the Government does not challenge the Tribunal’s award, we will do it although such a representation will carry more weight if the State Government takes the lead," he said.

Patil described as “wholly unnecessary" the State Government’s announcement on welcoming the award as “New Year Gift" for the people of the state when it was delivered about three months ago.

The state government’s immediate response in welcoming the award led to confusion. “The state government changed its stand on the award only after the people of the state brought the injustice to its notice," he claimed.

The meeting held on Friday adopted 13 resolutions including the rejection of allocation of just 177 tmcft as against the demanded 278 tmcft of the surplus water. “We have been deprived of 101 tmcft of water," Patil said.

The meeting also resolved to take serious exception to the rejection of the State’s demand for 40 tmcft of water for minor irrigation.

Referring to the release of 8 to 10 tmcft of water from Almatti to Andhra Pradesh during the “water scarce" months June and July, Patil wondered why such a direction was not issued to Maharashtra.

The Congress leader claimed that the Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa has extended an invitation to him to join a delegation of leaders from the state, which will call on veteran advocate Fali Nariman to discuss the next course of action on the Krishna River Water Dispute Tribunal’s award.

“I hope Nariman will take cognisance of the injustice to Karnataka and help the state in its struggle for justice," he added.