Set up Cauvery Management Board without any delay, demands Tamil Nadu

CHENNAI: Tearing into Karnataka for treating with contempt the orders of the Supreme Court on release of Cauvery water and “permitting unruly elements” to create law and order issues, Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa on Thursday asked the Union government to ensure that Karnataka releases Tamil Nadu's rightful share of water at the earliest.

In her speech sent to the meeting of executive heads of both states convened by the Union Government, which was read out by TN chief secretary P. Rama Mohana Rao, Ms Jayalalithaa castigated Karnataka for not obeying the orders of the apex court and failing to prevent attacks against Tamils living in that state and their properties which were "systematically targeted, ransacked and burnt".

Maintaining that Tamil Nadu has “scrupulously adhered” to every order of the Supreme Court and that same cannot be said about Karnataka which has treated it with contempt, Ms Jayalalithaa nudged the Union government to quickly constitute the Cauvery Management Board without waiting for the four-week period as directed by the Supreme Court.

“The State of Karnataka has treated the Orders of the Supreme Court with utter contempt. Successive Orders of the Supreme Court have been deliberately and systematically defied…. This deliberate defiance goes against the spirit of the Constitution itself and amounts to contempt of the apex court of the Country. Karnataka has not followed the orders of the Supreme Court and has on the other hand permitted unruly elements to create law and order issues," the speech presented by the Minister said.

Tamil Nadu had a shortfall of 60.983 TMC ft. of water for the period up to 31.8.2016, as per the Final Order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal, the Chief Minister maintained, while pushing the ball firmly into the court of the Union Government in ensuring that Karnataka abides by the order of the CWDT.

The state was forced to knock at the doors of the apex court with the sole intention of saving at least a single samba crop in the Cauvery Delta since there was a "huge shortfall" in release of water due to Tamil Nadu. "We are in dire need of the water," the speech copy read, adding that successive Union Governments did not take any effort to resolve the issues.

Ms Jayalalithaa also said it was the Supreme Court that came to the rescue of farmers of Tamil Nadu whenever Karnataka refused to release water. “In the spirit of the Orders of the Supreme Court, I urge the Government of India to ensure that Karnataka complies with the Orders of the Supreme Court forthwith and releases water to Tamil Nadu in accordance with the Orders dated 5/6.9.2016, 12.9.2016, 20.9.2016 and 27.9.2016. Further, Karnataka should release the stipulated quantity of water as per the Final Order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal including the backlog of 76.042 TMC ft. as on 26.9.2016,” Jayalalithaa told the meeting.

Noting that Karnataka has not released the stipulated quantity of 192 TMC ft. in any of the years except, when the reservoirs in Karnataka could not hold the surplus flows, she asked the forum to recognise this pattern of Karnataka arrogating to itself the waters of the inter-State Cauvery River in defiance of the orders of the Supreme Court.