Mekedatu balancing reservoir is the only solution to Cauvery water sharing dispute:DCM DK Shivakumar
Bengaluru, Aug 25: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Friday said the Mekedatu balancing reservoir across the Cauvery river near Kanakapura in Ramanagara district is the only solution to the Cauvery water sharing dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
Speaking to reporters here, he said the problem arose because the Mekedatu reservoir was not built.
''The Mekedatu project is the only solution to the problem of Cauvery water sharing between the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. We have informed the Supreme Court about this,'' the Water Resources Minister said.
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The Cauvery Management Authority has been constituted by the court itself, which is a technical committee. Now they have to focus on the technical aspects, the DCM said.
Making a pitch for the Mekedatu reservoir, he said had it been built, this problem would not have arisen today. Last year, more than 400 TMC water flowed into the sea and was ''wasted''. If only a small amount of water had been held at Mekedatu reservoir, this problem would not have arisen, Shivakumar pointed out.
“We cannot use Mekedatu dam water for irrigation. We can only use it for drinking purpose. Mekedatu reservoir would have come in very handy during such times of trouble,” he said.
Shivakumar said there is opposition (from Tamil Nadu) to the Mekedatu issue but all the points have been mentioned in the submission made before the apex court.
He said the state respects the court order but at the same time, it is also bound to protect the interests of the farmers of Karnataka.
Shivakumar said Tamil Nadu can use its share of water for any purpose. However, he said the neighbouring state should also use the water cautiously in this time of distress.
Karnataka has been insisting for a balancing reservoir on the river, which Tamil Nadu has been opposing.
The new reservoir, if built, will provide drinking water to Bengaluru and its neighbouring towns.
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Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah accuses EC of ‘bias’, defends state guarantee schemes ahead of bypolls
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has accused the EC of "double standards" and "bias" after it sought details on the state’s guarantee schemes in Davanagere and Bagalkot districts, where bypolls are scheduled for Thursday.
In a post on 'X' on Wednesday, Siddaramaiah said the Election Commission of India had asked the Karnataka government for information on fund releases under five ongoing guarantee schemes in the constituencies going to polls.
The polls were necessitated following the deaths of senior Congress MLAs Shamanur Shivashankarappa and H Y Meti, respectively.
The schemes are Gruha Jyothi, which provides 200 units of free electricity to every household; Gruha Lakshmi, offering Rs 2,000 to women heading families; and Anna Bhagya, supplying 10 kg of rice per month to each member of BPL families.
In addition, Yuva Nidhi grants Rs 3,000 to unemployed graduates and Rs 1,500 to unemployed diploma holders aged 18–25 for two years, while Shakti enables women to travel free of charge within Karnataka on government non-luxury buses.
Siddaramaiah alleged that the ECI had remained silent when similar cash transfer schemes were announced in Maharashtra and Bihar ahead of elections, calling the scrutiny of Karnataka’s schemes a "clear case of bias".
"In states like Maharashtra and Bihar, cash transfer schemes were announced or fast-tracked just before elections, directly benefiting voters. Yet the ECI remained silent. This is not neutrality—it is complicity," he said.
The CM accused the BJP and NDA governments of "a double standard", noting that when they act, the ECI "looks the other way", but when Karnataka fulfils its promises, it faces "intense scrutiny".
He added that targeting the state’s guarantee schemes is "not just political but anti-poor, anti-women, and anti-Karnataka."
Siddaramaiah clarified that these schemes were not launched in connection with the bypolls but are ongoing programmes implemented as part of the Congress government’s commitments from the 2023 Assembly elections.
Funds are transferred regularly to beneficiaries in a transparent and structured manner, he added.
"The guarantees are part of governance—a direct investment in human dignity, household stability, and economic participation, not inducement," he said.
He also accused the BJP of "hypocrisy", saying that while it criticises Karnataka’s schemes as "freebies", it rolls out similar programmes in states it governs.
"The Karnataka model has set a benchmark for the country. What is deeply concerning, however, is the ECI’s selective approach," Siddaramaiah added.
