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SC, CRA order not violated: Karnataka

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI OCT. 20. The Karnataka Government today said that it had neither `flouted' nor `violated' the orders of the Supreme Court or the Cauvery River Authority on the release of water to Tamil Nadu and claimed that till date it fulfilled 77 per cent of the requirement.

The State Government's assertion came here from its Water Resources Minister, H.K. Patil, days before the contempt petition filed by the Tamil Nadu Government comes up for hearing before the apex court on Thursday.

``The Government of Karnataka has no intention to disobey the orders of the Supreme Court or any constitutional authority. It is the duty of the Government to uphold the interests of the people of the State... The Government denies that it has flouted, violated or disregarded the orders of the Supreme Court and the CRA,'' Mr. Patil told a press conference after inaugurating an exhibition and an audio-visual presentation: ``The Cauvery Basin — Memories of Past, Realities of Present and the Promises of the Future''.

He said that between September 4 and 9, the State had released 1.25 tmcft of water. Between October 1 and 14, the total flow ensured at Mettur stood at 97,044 cusecs. As against the order for release of 9,000 cusecs a day, which works out to 1,26,000 cusecs for 14 days, the State had released 97,044 cusecs leaving a deficit of 28,956 cusecs, which works out to 23 per cent.

Mr. Patil said while making all efforts to obey the orders, the attempt of the State Government was to safeguard the interests of its farmers who have 5.9 lakh acres of standing crops and also address the drinking water requirement. He said the inflows were expected to improve in the coming days and Karnataka would review the situation by month-end.

While advocating inter-linking of rivers such as the Ganges, Cauvery as a long-term solution, he disagreed with the suggestion for nationalisation of river waters.

The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, had earlier suggested nationalisation of river waters as a way out of the inter-State water disputes.

Mr. Patil also defended the `padayatra' undertaken by the Chief Minister, saying that it was a move to ensure that the Mandya region, which was affected earlier, remained peaceful.

He said criticism by political opponents that the padayatra had politicised the issue was unfounded.

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