K'taka wants to resolve Pennaiyar water sharing dispute with Tamil Nadu through talks: DK Shivakumar
New Delhi, Jun 30: Karnataka wants to resolve the Pennaiyar river water sharing dispute with Tamil Nadu through dialogue, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said on Friday and urged the Centre not to form a tribunal for it.
His remarks come amid the Union Jal Shakti Ministry's decision to set up the inter-state river water dispute tribunal before July 5.
"I have requested the central government minister (Gajendra Singh Shekhawat) not to form the tribunal to resolve the water sharing dispute of Pennaiyar river. Karnataka wants to resolve this issue amicably through talks," Shivakumar, who holds the water resources portfolio, told reporters here.
He met Shekhawat on Thursday to discuss issues related to irrigation in Karnataka.
The deputy chief minister said though the Tamil Nadu government has been demanding the constitution of a tribunal before the Supreme Court, Karnataka has been opposing it.
Recently, the Supreme Court had asked the Jal Shakti Ministry to clarify its position on a complaint filed by Tamil Nadu for setting up the tribunal. The ministry has said a new tribunal will be set up before July 5.
Karnataka is building a dam across the Markandeya river near Yargol village in Kolar district to provide drinking water to the Kolar, Malur and Bangarpet taluks, and 40 other villages. It has obtained all the required permissions to build the dam at a cost of Rs 240 crore.
Tamil Nadu, however, has objected to the project and claimed that since the Markandeya river is a tributary of the Pennaiyar river, dam construction by Karnataka would obstruct its natural flow to the downstream.
It has also alleged that Karnataka has taken up construction of a reservoir across the Markandeya river diverting surplus waters of the Varthur tank.
Besides the Pennaiyar river water issue, Shivakumar said he has also requested the Union minister to give early approval for the Mekedatu, Mahadayi project, and notify the long pending Krishna Water Dispute Tribunal final award.
He also requested the Centre to release funds to the Upper Bhadra project under Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme (AIBP).
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MP: Woman, lover conspire to get husband killed; police looking for contract killer
Dhar (MP) (PTI): A 25-year-old woman and her lover have been arrested in the district for allegedly conspiring to kill her husband by hiring a contract killer, police said on Thursday.
The case was solved within 36 hours of the murder though the woman initially tried to mislead the police by claiming that robbers killed her husband, an official said.
Dev Krishna Purohit (28) was stabbed to death on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday at his house in Gondikheda Charan village, about 60 km from here.
Superintendent of Police Mayank Awasthi told reporters that accused Priyanka Purohit (25) was married to Dev Krishna when she was around 15 years old. Priyanka moved to her matrimonial home after attaining adulthood but was unwilling to live with her husband, leading to frequent disputes between them.
During investigation, it emerged that she was in a relationship with Kamlesh (32), the SP said.
The duo allegedly hatched a plan to kill Dev Krishna and hired a man identified as Surendra for Rs 1 lakh do the job, he said
After Dev Krishna was killed, Priyanka told police that unidentified persons broke into the house, attacked her husband with a sharp weapon while holding her captive in another room, and fled with valuables.
But the inconsistencies in her statements raised suspicion, and eventually she confessed to hatching the murder conspiracy, the SP said.
While she and Kamlesh were arrested, police are looking for the contract killer, the official added.
