Karnataka chief minister DK Shivakumar said, on Sunday, that Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay had agreed to postpone his scheduled visit to Bengaluru following a request from him. Amid severe rainfall shortages in Karnataka, the visit was intended to discuss and resolve the inter-state dispute over the release of water from the Cauvery river.
Shivakumar had requested Vijay to postpone his visit in light of a charged atmosphere in Karnataka wherein farmers opposed the directive by the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) to release 3,500 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu for 15 days.
‘He is a courageous leader’
Following calls for widespread bandhs and protests across Karnataka, particularly in Mandya, Shivakumar urged Vijay to postpone his August 3 visit to the state.
“I have great respect for him. Though he may be new to politics, he is a courageous leader. I congratulated him on his bold decision. Whatever our political differences may be, he wanted to come to Karnataka,” Shivakumar told reporters after chairing an all-party meeting on Cauvery row, as per PTI.
Also Read I TN minister rejects demand for all-party meeting to discuss Cauvery water issue
“I only requested that we meet in a better and more cordial atmosphere because I don’t want anyone shouting against my friends. We should respect each other. We have to live together and work together. Ultimately, India is one.”
Bandhs and protests in Karnataka
Following a severe rainfall deficit in Karnataka this year, the CWMA’s decision to uphold the directive issued by the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee’s decision to release water to Tamil Nadu triggered unrest among farmers in the state. Ahead of Vijay’s visit, Kannada demonstrators tore posters of Vijay’s recently released film Jananayagan and forced theatres at some places to halt its screening.
Shivakumar, on Sunday, appealed to political parties and Kannada organisations to hold off from calling a bandh over the issue. He further revealed that the state had received only about 35 per cent of its normal rainfall so far this year, as per ANI’s report.
Also Read I Why Karnataka-Tamil Nadu Cauvery dispute keeps recurring — a river that has changed, a framework that hasn’t
“Against the expected release of nearly 40 TMC by July, we have been able to release only around 3.6 TMC because of the severe shortage,” he said. Initially the state had refrained from releasing water from its reservoirs but improved inflows and the need to ensure dam safety had compelled the government to release a limited quantity downstream after maintaining safe reservoir levels.
“We are releasing limited quantities of water through canals only to fill lakes and tanks meant for drinking water purposes, and not for irrigation,” he noted. The two states have also spoken about implementing a distress-sharing formula.
(With agency inputs)
