From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore

Bangalore, Jun 6: An-all party meeting convened by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has unanimously decided ask the State Government to register its strong objection to the framing of guidelines by the Supervisory Committee on releasing of Cauvery water by the State to Tamil Nadu.

The all-party meeting was convened by the Chief Minister in Vidhana Soudha on Thursday to discuss the outcome of the recent meeting of the Supervisory Committee for implementation for the final award of the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal (CWDT) in Delhi.

The panel had been set up on the orders of the Supreme Court to implement the award of the CWDT on the water shares allocated to the basin States of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Pondicherry.

The chief minister informed the all party leaders that the State Government has strongly objected to the framing of guidelines by the Supervisory Committee for implementation for the final award of the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal (CWDT).

The Supervisory Committee would be meeting again on June 12 in the national capital.

The meeting is understood to have decided to oppose the formulation of guidelines by the panel.

Water Resources Minister M B Patil, leader of the Opposition and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, former Chief Ministers B S Yeddyurappa of KJP, D V Sadananda Gowda and Jagadish Shettar of BJP, M C Nanaiah of JD(S), former Water Resources Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Chief Secretary S V Ranganath and other leaders attended the meeting.

The first meeting of the Cauvery Supervisory Committee held in Delhi on last Saturday decided to review the position of storage levels,corresponding to demands and the onset of the south-west monsoon in relation to Tamil Nadu’s demand for water allocation for the first 10 days in June, as stipulated in the CWDT award.

Siddaramaiah assured the Opposition leaders that the State Government would take all necessary steps to protect the interests of the State on the Cauvery issue and safeguard the interests of the farmers.

The Government would not compromise on the Cauvery water sharing issue and present its views at a meeting of the panel scheduled to be held on June 12, he said.

The JD(S), BJP and KJP have too decided to support the Governments’ stance on the Cauvery imbroglio and pledged not to politicise the issue.
 

Nobody Can Question Deve Gowda on Cauvery: HDK
 
Participating in the discussion on the motion of thanks to Governor H R Bhardwaj to his address to the joint session of the State Legislature, Leader of the Opposition H D Kumaraswamy said “nobody can question the contributions made by former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda in the irrigation sector” and blamed the Centre for meeting out injustice to the State in the Cauvery water sharing row.

Kumaraswamy said the Central government has done injustice to the State by denying adequate share of Cauvery waters and pointed out that the Tamil Nadu Government grabbed all opportunities to get maximum share in the Cauvery waters at the cost of the State.

Responding to the comments made by Revenue Minister V Srinivas Prasad that the Deve Gowda had failed to formulate the National Water Policy when he was the Prime Minister, Kumaraswamy said “nobody can question the contributions made by former prime minister.”

The JD(S) supremo, who was prime minister for barely 10 months, had contributed the most to the development of irrigation in the State and required no certificates from``you (Srinivas    Prasad) or anybody to prove his contribution when he was in power in the State or at the Centre or as opposition leader to protect the State’s interest in the irrigation sector.”

Speaking at length on the Cauvery water dispute and traced its history from the early 1980s, Kumaraswamy said Deve Gowda safeguarded the interests of the state and made all efforts to get maxim share in waters in the Krishna and Cauvery basins.

Earlier, the Assembly Speaker Kagodu Thimmapa announced that he had not admitted a notice given by Kumaraswamy for amending the Governor’s speech delivered to the joint session of the legislature on June 3.

The JD(S) leader had demanded deletion of the Governor’s reference to the Cauvery award in his speech.

The Governor H R Bhardwaj had said: “The long-pending extension, renovation and modernisation projects of the Cauvery basin will be taken up for approval of the Government of India, in conformity with the Cauvery award.”

Kumaraswamy questioned the government’s decision to hold another Global Investors’ meet this year.

Investors sign agreements to grab valuable lands of the farmers and not for setting up industries.The results of the two GIMs held during the BJP regime was known to all, he said.

The JD(S) leader asked the Government to set right loopholes in the distribution of BPL cards for below poverty line families in the State before distributing rice at one rupee per kg.