Supreme Court slammed Karnataka for ignoring its order to give Cauvery water to neighbour Tamil Nadu
Highlights
- Karnataka told to release Cauvery water from tomorrow for 6 days
- Karnataka had ignored earlier similar order from Supreme Court
- Riots in Bengaluru earlier this month after water given to Tamil Nadu
Karnataka has been reprimanded by the Supreme Court for ignoring its order to share water with neighbour Tamil Nadu; it must urgently release water starting tomorrow for the next six days, said judges.
"Karnataka will not show any defiance," said the Supreme Court, which has been arbitrating the battle over the River Cauvery which flows from Karnataka into Tamil Nadu.
At the beginning of this month, the Supreme Court ordered Karnataka to increase the amount of water for two weeks that it was giving to Tamil Nadu to help farmers there. Riots erupted across Karnataka, including in the state capital of Bengaluru, where two people died and police cars and buses were set on fire.
The Karnataka government led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has argued in court that major cities including Bengaluru are running out of drinking water and that the earliest that it can help Tamil Nadu is November. But the judges have not bought that contention and faulted Mr Siddaramaiah, who is from the Congress, of violating the spirit of federalism or cooperation between states.
Yesterday, Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti, who mediated between the state governments, said no compromised was reached. She offered to go on an indefinite hunger strike on the simmering border between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to help restore calm.
The conferral she held was ordered by the Supreme Court which has today said the centre must create a Cauvery Management Board whose members must visit both states and report back to judges by October 6.