Cauvery: Bengaluru to toe legal team view

Bengaluru: The state government has decided to go along with the opinion of the Cauvery legal panel on whether to file a review petition before the Supreme Court against its final verdict on the Cauvery river water row. 

After a discussion with floor leaders in both Houses, MPs, Rajya Sabha members and  MLAs of the Cauvery basin here on Thursday, the government decided to have a discussion with the Cauvery legal team head and senior counsel Fali .S. Nariman  on whether to file the review petition before the Supreme Court seeking review of its order dated February 16, 2018,  allocating an additional 14.75 tmc feet water to Karnataka and directing the Centre to constitute a dispute redressal mechanism to  regulate sharing of water between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.   

Meanwhile the state government has also sought the opinion of the legal team regarding the Apex Court direction to the Centre to constitute the Cauvery River Management Authority. 

Speaking to the media after the meeting with the floor leaders, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the government will go by the opinion of the legal team on the review petition and constitution of the river management authority. 

The Chief Minister refused to answer to a question about the state government’s stand on constitution of the Cauvery river management board and put the onus on the state legal team. "We will strictly go by the opinion of our legal team", he added.

Gowda: Cauvery panel only if it   hikes our share 

JD (S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda on Thursday demanded that the Centre should establish the Cauvery Water Management Board (CMB) if it ensures increased share of water to Karnataka.  On February 16, a three-judge SC bench had directed formation of the CMB within six weeks in a verdict that marginally increased Karnataka's share of Cauvery water, thus reducing the allocation for Tamil Nadu.  Mr Gowda, called on Union Water Resources Minister Nitin Gadkari and discussed  the issue. "I have requested Gadkariji to set up CMB after taking into account issues related to lift irrigation, Mekedatu project and trans-basin diversion of water," he told reporters. The JD(S) leader also informed the government that the CMB should be set up if it benefited Karnataka and ensured 30-35 tmcft water. Sources in the Ministry of Water Resources said its secretary U P Singh would hold a meeting with chief secretaries of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Puducherry tomorrow to discuss ways to implement the Supreme Court verdict.