A day after the 'Bengaluru Bandh' was called against release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that the government would contest the Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee's (CWRC) order to release 3000 cusecs of water to the neighbouring state for 18 days daily from September 28.
The Supreme Court earlier refused to interfere with orders of the CWRC, directing the state to release 5,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu, prompting a call for bandh by farmers and Kannada organisations.
The CWRC at its meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday decided that Karnataka should release 3,000 cubic feet per second (cusecs) to Tamil Nadu from September 28 to October 15. However, Karnataka maintained that it will not be able to release of water even as Tamil Nadu wanted at least 12,500 cusecs to be released for the coming weeks.
However, the CWRC rejected Tamil Nadu's request. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who also holds the Water Resources portfolio welcomed the this move.
"I have already spoken to our advocates. They have suggested us to challenge this order in the Supreme Court. We'll challenge it in the Supreme Court. We don't have water to release to Tamil Nadu. We are challenging the orders of the CWRC," Siddaramaiah told reporters today.
Meanwhile, a Karnataka bandh, a state-wide shutdown, has been called, on September 29 by 'Kannada Okkuta', an umbrella organisation for Kannada organisations, led by activist Vatal Nagaraj.
The opposition BJP and JD(S) which have been targeting the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government for allegedly failing the state by releasing Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, supported yesterday's bandh, and have announced that they will take part in the agitation today as well.
