Bengaluru/Mahabalipuram: Karnataka chief minister DK Shivakumar Thursday made a strong cooperative approach pitch on the Cauvery dispute, assuring Tamil Nadu and Puducherry that Mekedatu balancing reservoir, once built, will benefit all three states: While Karnataka will get only 5tmcft of drinking water for its urban areas, rest of the storage will be for TN and Puducherry.“Help us, and we will help you,” Shivakumar told 31st Southern Zonal Council meeting in Mahabalipuram, chaired by Union home minister Amit Shah and attended by southern chief ministers, including C Joseph Vijay.“I’ve given a commitment to Tamil Nadu in the presence of the Union home minister: The dam across the Cauvery will be built only for you, not for us,” the CM said. Later, he favoured a separate meeting to amicably settle water-sharing issues.“The Cauvery, Krishna, Tungabhadra, Pennar and Palar rivers are lifelines of southern states. Water should unite us, not divide us. The time has now come to move from water sharing to water cooperation,” he said.Shivakumar said Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu had urged him to take the dialogue route to solve the Cauvery dispute with Tamil Nadu. Citing the June 25 meeting between Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana over sharing of Tungabhadra waters as proof that dialogue works, Shivakumar added, “We accept that every riparian state has legitimate needs. Our stand rests on three principles: equity, transparency, cooperation.” The CM said cooperation is reciprocal, adding he would raise the Krishna, Upper Bhadra and river-interlinking issues before the council.Shivakumar flagged how CSR funds were being spent by private firms and PSUs, suggesting the state should have a say based on local priorities in education and health. He cited the case of a defunct ITI facility auctioning land allotted for nation-building purposes, saying such land should return to the govt, and that Karnataka would move court to stop the sale.Amit Shah partly agreed with the CM’s view and asked Shivakumar to take up the matter directly with heads of PSUs, adding IAS officers — not political appointees — head such bodies.Shivakumar urged Shah to release Rs 5,300 crore for Upper Bhadra project, announced in the 2023-24 Union budget, and sought tougher laws against drug trafficking.Quote“Karnataka has not come here to complain. We come as a partner in the India story. All we ask in return is fairness. When Karnataka is strong, the South is stronger. And when the South is strong, India is stronger. Walk with us. Fund us fairly. Give the South its due. We’ll continue to give India its futureDK Shivakumar | K’taka CM
