No option but to release water to TN, says Deve Gowda

Bengaluru, Oct 5: JD(S) leader H D Deve Gowda on Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Court's decision to keep in abeyance the establishment of the Cauvery Management Board (CMB) and said the state has no option but to comply with the order on releasing water to Tamil Nadu.

“Karnataka has to obey the order to release 2,000 cusecs per day from October 7 to 18 to Tamil Nadu. But I don't know what the state government will do.

“The decision to keep the establishment of the CMB in abeyance is satisfactory. I thank the Centre and Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi for arguing that the CMB does not come under the purview of the court,” he told reporters.

He said the head of Karnataka's legal team in the Supreme Court, Fali Nariman, was upset because of critical comments made by certain state leaders against him. “It is not proper to comment on Nariman's role. I will meet him soon to tender an apology,” he added.

Asked about the criticism against him that he did not stage a hunger strike on the Mahadayi issue, Gowda said the Mahadayi river water tribunal has not given the final award yet. An appropriate decision will be taken once the final award is given, he added.

Cong welcomes SC order

KPCC working president Dinesh Gundu Rao said his party welcomes the Supreme Court's decision on keeping the establishment of the CMB in abeyance. “The state has finally got some relief in the SC. We also welcome the order to send a technical team to both the states to assess the ground situation. The court should have done it long ago,” he stated.

On the order to release water to Tamil Nadu, he said the government has to take an appropriate decision based on ground realities. If the Cauvery catchment areas receive good rains in the coming days, the government can release water to Tamil Nadu, he added.