Bengaluru: Karnataka on Saturday strongly objected to the Centre’s decision to constitute the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) and Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) despite its pleas against them. Chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, who had on Monday met both Union Water Resources Minister Gadkari and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to appeal to them not to form the two bodies, arguing they would harm the state’s interests, described the Centre’s move as a betrayal.
“They had promised to look into Karnataka’s request. I will now hold a meeting to get a feedback on this decision and will once again try to meet the Union Water Resources Minister,” he said, adding that he would consult the advocate general and irrigation advisor to chalk out the state’s future course of action. Despite Karnataka’s objections the Union Water Resources department had argued on Friday that any delay in constituting the two Cauvery bodies would amount to contempt of the Supreme Court.
Central Water Commission chairman, S. Masood Hussain will head the CWMA and chief engineer of the Central Water Commission, Navin Kumar will be the first chairman of the CWRC. While the CWMA is an umbrella body, the CWRC will monitor water management on a day-to-day basis, including the water level and inflow and outflow of reservoirs in all the basin states. Karnataka believes some of the powers of the two bodies will go against its interests and is unhappy with the wide role they are being allowed to play in the inter-state water dispute.
