Bommai urges CM to take firm stand based on facts that K'taka cannot release Cauvery water to TN
Bengaluru, Aug 14: Former Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to take a firm stand, based on facts, that the state cannot release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu.
In a letter to the CM, the BJP leader said that the release of water will cause hardship to the people and farmers of Karnataka.
The Tamil Nadu government on Friday asserted that it has no other option but to approach the Supreme Court to get Cauvery water, stating that Karnataka has changed its stand and has come forward to release only a reduced quantum of 8,000 cusecs.
"On June 1, there was a total of 24,352 tmc of water in the four reservoirs of Karnataka (Cauvery basin). Similarly, 69.77 tmc in Mettur reservoir, 16.653 tmc in Bhavani Sagar Reservoir, and 14.054 tmc water has flowed from Biligundlu measuring station on 6-8-2023. So, a total of 83.831 tmc of water has been received in Mettur Dam in Tamil Nadu this year," Bommai said.
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Noting that according to the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT), Tamil Nadu is required to grow Kuruvai crop in 1.8 lakh acre and should use 32 tmc water, he said Tamil Nadu, however, as on August 7, has used 60.97 tmc of water for Kuruvai crop, which is double the figure mentioned in the CWDT order.
"Ignoring the scarcity of water in the Cauvery basin, water has been provided to four times the prescribed Kuruvai area (in Tamil Nadu), which is in violation of CWDT order," he said, adding that silence of the state's officials without protesting this in the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) has affected Karnataka's interest.
Pointing out that the current water level in the four dams is not sufficient for the drinking water needs of Bengaluru city, other cities and the villages of the Cauvery basin, Bommai said similarly, kharif crops in the Cauvery basin will suffer from shortage of water.
"Thus the release of water causes hardship to the people and farmers of Karnataka," he said, urging the chief minister to take a firm stand that, based on facts, the state cannot release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu which is receiving Southwest and Northeast Monsoon rains.
"I believe that you will protect the interests of the people of the Cauvery basin," he added.
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Waqf Bill anti-secular, will snatch rights of Muslims: Mamata Banerjee
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday described the Waqf (Amendment) Bill as “anti-secular”, claiming that it would snatch the rights of Muslims.
Banerjee, speaking in the assembly, also said the Centre did not consult with states over the matter.
“The bill is anti-federal and anti-secular; it is a deliberate attempt to malign a particular section. It will snatch the rights of Muslims... The Centre did not consult with us on the Waqf Bill,” she said.
The chief minister added that “if any religion was attacked”, she would wholeheartedly condemn it.
Opposition parties have stridently criticised the amendments proposed by the bill in the existing Waqf Act, alleging that they violate the religious rights of Muslims.
The ruling BJP has asserted that the amendments will bring transparency in the functioning of the Waqf boards and make them accountable.
A parliamentary committee has been constituted to scrutinise the contentious bill.
