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Journalism of Courage
A cautious Bangalore packed up early for the day as the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal gave its verdict. Fearing a repeat of the ‘91 violence, schools, offices and business establishments closed down early.
Reports of sporadic incidents of stone throwing in localities with sizeable Tamil populations in Bangalore and Cauvery basin areas like Mandya and Channapatna following the verdict in the afternoon, fuelled fears and resulted in most of the city shutting down by early evening.
Apprehending violence after the order, Karnataka police stepped up security in Bangalore and other sensitive parts of the state on Sunday.
Major IT firms in the city advised employees to return while schools and colleges sent students home in the afternoon as news of the verdict giving 419 tmc feet of water to Tamil Nadu and 270 tmc feet to Karnataka began to spread. Inter-state buses traveling to and from Tamil Nadu were pulled off roads as a precautionary measure, while cable distributors pulled the plug on Tamil channels.
“There have been a lot of rumours flying around. There have been a couple of minor incidents of violence in Bangalore, otherwise the city has been peaceful,” additional commissioner of police Bipin Gopalkrishna said.
Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have began embroiled in a long-standing dispute over the sharing of nearly 750 tmc feet of Cauvery water that feeds key agriculture regions in both states. Karnataka had been seeking 435 tmc feet of water.
Reacting to the verdict, the JDS-BJP state government said they would challenge the decision in the Supreme Court after holding consultations with experts.
“We have not yet gone through the entire order. We will consult our experts, other political parties and the cabinet before deciding on the future course of action. The livelihood of thousands of people are involved,” Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said. An all-party meeting and a cabinet meeting have been scheduled for Tuesday.
“There will be no compromise. We are ready to challenge the tribunal’s order. This will be done after a complete understanding of the order,” Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa told the state legislative assembly.
The Opposition and political leaders from the Cauvery basin called the verdict a grave injustice. “Tamil Nadu has been allocated more water that it asked for. What has happened? Has the government not argued its case effectively?” Congress leader N Dharam Singh asked.
Soz wants water on Concurrent List
NEW DELHI: In view of the inter-state disputes, Union Water Resources Minister has called for water to be placed in the Concurrent List. “It is being felt that the Central government should have a say in resolving water disputes between conflicting states. This is our concern too. But this could happen in the future,” Minister of Water Resources Saifuddin Soz said at the 7th Editors Conference on social sector issues here. “Water is a state subject. We help them arrive at a right conclusion. But agreement between conflicting states is not easy. We are making vigrous efforts to see that deficient states have enough water. But progress is slow as it is state subject,” he said.
