Cauvery row: Karna CM seeks PM’s intervention to end impasse

Bengaluru, Sep 9 (PTI) With the "extreme unrest" inKarnataka over release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, ChiefMinister Siddaramaiah today requested Prime Minister NarendraModi to call forthwith "on a few hours notice" a meeting ofchief ministers of the two states to end the impasse. As the Cauvery row hotted up with the state observing a12-hour bandh today, Siddaramaiah dashed off a missive to Modisaying that the "unrest", if continued, would have a seriousimpact on the state’s economy as also the IT economy whichbrings enormous revenue and foreign exchange to the country. "By this communication, I earnestly request you not onlyas Prime Minister, but as Head of the entire Federal system,to call a meeting of the Chief Ministers of the States(forthwith on a few hours notice) to resolve the impasse,"Siddaramaiah said in the letter released to the media here. He pointed to a precedent of December 1995, where undersimilar circumstances of deficit flows, the Supreme Court hadrequested the Prime Minister to resolve the issue. "The Supreme Court by order dated 28 December, 1995  requested the Prime Minister to resolve the issue of implementation of its order, which was then duly done to thesatisfaction of all parties," he said. Complying with the apex court’s order, Karnatakagovernment has been releasing 15,000 cusecs of water to TamilNadu since Tuesday, triggering a wave of protests particularlyin the Cauvery basin districts with Mandya being the epicentreof the stir. While maintaining that the release was "inevitable",Karnataka government has said it would seek modification ofthe apex court’s September five order to spare water for 10days because of the difficulties in implementing it given thatthe live storage in four reservoirs in the Cauvery basin nowwas 46.7 TMCFT against their capacity of 104 TMCFT. The present live storage is 45 per cent against the livestorage of 104 TMCFT in the Krishnaraja Sagar, Harangi,Hemavathi and Kabini reservoirs, the government has said. Siddaramaiah, in his letter, has invited the PrimeMinister’s "immediate attention to the stark facts already inthe public arena about extreme unrest in the Cauvery basin,especially in Bengaluru…" against the court’s interim orderon release of water. He said the daily release of 15,000 cusecs of Cauverywater at the inter state border, Biligundulu, which, ifcontinued, "would completely deprive the drinking water not only to the residents of Bangalore City but also to farmers ofCauvery basin and water for the only crop they grow." MORE PTIKSU RA RCSMJ