Karnataka to challenge direction to release Cauvery water to TN before SC, says CM Siddaramaiah
Chamarajanagar (PTI): The direction of the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee to Karnataka to release water at the rate of 3,000 cubic feet per second (cusecs) to Tamil Nadu from Thursday to October 15 will be challenged before the Supreme Court, the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Wednesday.
Siddaramaiah said he has spoken to the State's legal team which opined that it should be challenged in the apex court.
"We are challenging the order of the Regulation Committee before the Supreme Court. We don't have water to give," the CM told reporters at Male Mahadeshwara Hills in this district.
Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar had on Tuesday expressed satisfaction over the CWRC rejecting the request of Tamil Nadu, which wanted Karnataka to release 12,000 cusecs.
Karnataka submitted before CWRC at its meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday that the shortfall in cumulative inflows to its four reservoirs in the Cauvery basin up to September 25 is 53.04 per cent.
According to Karnataka officials, due to the failure of the south-west monsoon (from June to September) this year, there is no sufficient storage in the four reservoirs and the State is facing such a grave situation that it is finding it extremely difficult even to cater to the drinking water requirements let alone supplying for irrigation.
The rainfall received in Karnataka this year in the months of August and September is the lowest in the last 123 years, they said.
Later speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Shivakumar, the Water Resources Minister, appealed to Kannada organisations to drop the call for bandh on Friday, and said the government is committed to protect the interest of the farmers and drinking water requirements of the state.
"Yesterday's (Bengaluru) bandh has been by and large successful, people have cooperated....we too are with protesters, as we are in the government, we have to abide by law and rules. Some organisations have called for bandh on September 29, I appeal to them, as people have cooperated with yesterday's bandh; once again calling a bandh will cause losses and inconvenience to them, let that not happen," he said.
Following the agitations and after hearing the arguments made by the government, the quantum of water to be released to Tamil Nadu has been reduced from 5,000 cusecs to 3,000 cusecs, the Congress leader pointed out.
"Rejecting Tamil Nadu's request for releasing 12,000 cusecs is a big (thing) for Karnataka. Earlier we had committed 3,000 cusecs, but in the recent hearing we said we will not release water. Even now, it is the opinion of the Chief Minister and mine is not to release water from KRS dam.
"In other places there is inflow and any ways the water including the seepage water will go (to TN), and there will be evaporation as well," he added.
Karnataka bandh has been called on September 29 by 'Kannada Okkuta', an umbrella outfit for Kannada organisations, led by activist Vatal Nagaraj.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
