Let the Cauvery flow, quietly
13 April 2007, Friday
Karnataka did get a low share in comparison to Tamilnadu after the Cauvery water Tribunal apportioned water between the two states besides Kerala and Pondicherry. The need of the hour right now is to act with discretion.
POLITICIANS WRINGING their hands over the Cauvery Tribunal’s award and the impetuous reactions from various sections of the society in Karnataka have only left the state in the grip of a fear of riots.
The state cabinet decided to appeal against the award it considers unfair, in comparison to what Tamilnadu has been awarded. Kerala and Pondicherry, the other two states that are also downstream beneficiaries of the water from Cauvery may well follow suit.
What will anyone gain from all this posturing except to prolong the agony and stall the progress in finding ways is to optimize the use of this diminishing resource that nature alone can allocate, no matter what mortals decree or wish? The only way to disregard this tribunal is by damning for having done injustice to farmers of the Cauvery River basin.
The Tribunal apportioned 270 tmcft of Cauvery water to Karnataka, while Tamil Nadu got the lion’s share of 470 tmcft. Earlier the Karnataka Government had pressed for its original demand for 465 tmcft of water to meet its irrigation and drinking water needs.
Karnataka needs 408 tmcft for irrigating 2.7 million acres of land, and 46 tmcft for drinking water purposes. What was promised was not delivered. However, the final award has clearly stated that the proportion of water shared between the states Tamil Nadu and Karnataka should be the same, as in a normal year.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Karunanidhi, who welcomed the Tribunal’s award, has asked the Cauvery Management Board to seek clear guidelines on the award. It is a direct slap on the face of Karnataka by the Karunanidhi Government, which clearly wants to show that it means business. When Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy was busy reshuffling his ministry, Karunanidhi was in the national capital, two days prior to the Cauvery verdict.
This is the time for Kumaraswamy to actually learn some real politics from Karunanidhi and maintain silence on this issue. What couldn’t be done for so long cannot be done now?
Attempting to undo what’s done, can only mean hurting the farmers for whom crocodile tears are no substitute to irrigate their field. People do accept the reality and get on with life, instead of destroying public property and wasting productive man-hours on futile ego trips of politics. Discretion is the better for this state and all the states as such.
13 April 2007, Friday
Karnataka did get a low share in comparison to Tamilnadu after the Cauvery water Tribunal apportioned water between the two states besides Kerala and Pondicherry. The need of the hour right now is to act with discretion.
POLITICIANS WRINGING their hands over the Cauvery Tribunal’s award and the impetuous reactions from various sections of the society in Karnataka have only left the state in the grip of a fear of riots.
The state cabinet decided to appeal against the award it considers unfair, in comparison to what Tamilnadu has been awarded. Kerala and Pondicherry, the other two states that are also downstream beneficiaries of the water from Cauvery may well follow suit.
What will anyone gain from all this posturing except to prolong the agony and stall the progress in finding ways is to optimize the use of this diminishing resource that nature alone can allocate, no matter what mortals decree or wish? The only way to disregard this tribunal is by damning for having done injustice to farmers of the Cauvery River basin.
The Tribunal apportioned 270 tmcft of Cauvery water to Karnataka, while Tamil Nadu got the lion’s share of 470 tmcft. Earlier the Karnataka Government had pressed for its original demand for 465 tmcft of water to meet its irrigation and drinking water needs.
Karnataka needs 408 tmcft for irrigating 2.7 million acres of land, and 46 tmcft for drinking water purposes. What was promised was not delivered. However, the final award has clearly stated that the proportion of water shared between the states Tamil Nadu and Karnataka should be the same, as in a normal year.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Karunanidhi, who welcomed the Tribunal’s award, has asked the Cauvery Management Board to seek clear guidelines on the award. It is a direct slap on the face of Karnataka by the Karunanidhi Government, which clearly wants to show that it means business. When Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy was busy reshuffling his ministry, Karunanidhi was in the national capital, two days prior to the Cauvery verdict.
This is the time for Kumaraswamy to actually learn some real politics from Karunanidhi and maintain silence on this issue. What couldn’t be done for so long cannot be done now?
Attempting to undo what’s done, can only mean hurting the farmers for whom crocodile tears are no substitute to irrigate their field. People do accept the reality and get on with life, instead of destroying public property and wasting productive man-hours on futile ego trips of politics. Discretion is the better for this state and all the states as such.
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