Agency report
Bangalore, Feb 8: Karnataka on Wednesday said the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal's award on water sharing was “not acceptable” to it and reiterated its decision to file a petition seeking its review as an all-party meeting to decide the state's next step remained inconclusive.
After holding discussions with opposition leaders, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said the meeting was inconclusive as they had sought copies of the order on the award by the tribunal but added no date had been fixed for the next meeting.
Kumaraswamy, however, reaffirmed that the state would file a review petition within the stipulated 90 days before the tribunal which allotted 270 tmcft to the state.
The petition would be decided on the basis of consultations with irrigation and legal experts and opposition leaders, he said.
In the Assembly, Water Resource Minister K S Eshwarappa said the award was not acceptable and the allocation made by the tribunal was "insufficient". "We want 408 tmcft for irrigating 27.28 lakh acres, 46 tmcft for drinking water, four tmcft for industries and 7 tmcft for power generation".
Faced with a barrage of criticism from the combined opposition, the government disowned the reported opinion expressed by its lawyers, including eminent jurist Fali S Nariman, that the award was fair.
"It is not the official reaction of the state government. It is only the opinion of advocates," Kumaraswamy told the agitated opposition members.
Protests in parts of Bangalore and in Mandya and Mysore, the sensitive districts in the Cauvery basin, continued for the third day today but remained peaceful.
Kumaraswamy said the World Kannada conference slated to be held in Belgaum from February 22 to 25, 2007 had been deferred.
Kannada activists held a procession at Basaveshwaranagar and Malleshwaram in Bangalore, affecting movement of traffic.
Except for stoppage of Shatabdi Express in Mandya and Maddur for over half an hour, the situation remained "absolutely peaceful", Karnataka Director General of Police K R Srinivasan said.
In Mandya, a local committee of farmers led by former Lok Sabha member G Made Gowda decided to continue the agitation from February 9, 2007.
Protests continue against Cauvery Tribunal award
UNI
Bangalore: Protests continued in the Cauvery basin districts of Karnataka, though on a low key, following the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal pronouncing the final award on sharing the river waters on Monday.
Amidst threats of a bandh call, which was subsequently postponed by the protestors, Asia's biggest air show Aero India-2007 got off to a trouble-free start at Yelahanka air base of the Indian Air Force on the outskirts of the city.
Additional Inspector General of Police Shankar Bidri told sources here that minor protests at various places in Mandya, Mysore and Chamarajanagar districts, besides the city were reported. A group of people held up a passenger train at Mandya and the Mysore-Chennai Shatabdi express at Srirangapatna for some time.
"However, the protests were peaceful. No untoward incidents were reported. No arrests have been made so far,'' he added.
Private bus services had resumed in Mandya district. However, KSRTC service between Bangalore and Mysore remained suspended. The authorities would take a decision on resuming the service tomorrow.
At Bharatinagar in Mandya district, agitators burnt an effigy of noted playwright Girish Karnad who had reportedly said the verdict should not be questioned by the Karnataka Government. Schools and colleges reopened in Mandya district. However, students came out of classes to protest in some places.
Lawyers associations joined the protesters in Mysore, Mandya and Bangalore.
Meanwhile, police detained 25 pro-Kannada agitators for staging a demonstration near the city airport today. The demonstrators, holding placards, shouted slogans against the Union and Tamil Nadu Governments in protest against the verdict. They were released later.