K’taka to move CWRC expressing inability to release water to TN: Siddaramaiah

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said the state will once again file a petition before the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC), expressing its inability to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu. CWRC on Tuesday recommended that Karnataka release 5,000 cusecs of water every day for the next 15 days to the neighbouring state. The Chief Minister, who held a ”special emergency meeting” today following the CWRC recommendation, said the government will consult its legal team regarding releasing water and take a decision, and will also once again file a petition in the Supreme Court explaining the factual situation on the ground. ”… Let’s see what they will do, based on that we will once again file a petition in the Apex Court and we will try to inform the court of the factual situation on the ground,” Siddaramaiah said. Speaking to reporters after the meeting here, he said, ”.. we will consult the legal team whether to release 5,000 cusec per day or not. Deputy Chief Minister (D K) Shivakumar is going to Delhi to discuss this with the legal team and also regarding filing a petition. Keeping all this in mind, we will make a decision afterwards.” Other than Shivakumar, who is also Minister in-charge of Water Resources, Ministers of the Cauvery basin region, former Chief Ministers of all parties, senior Ministers of the state cabinet, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members were invited to participate in the emergency meeting. However, B S Yediyurappa and Basavaraj Bommai of the BJP and H D Kumaraswamy of the JD(S) did not attend the meeting citing prior commitments. MPs such as BJP’s Pratap Simha, P C Mohan, Shivkumar Udasi, and Sumalatha Ambareesh (Independent) participated. Noting that the meeting was called following the CWRC’s recommendation to release water, the Chief Minister said whether Cauvery river or any other inter-state disputes, all parties have taken a unanimous stand so far, and have not indulged in pol