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Karnataka farmers threaten to revive Cauvery stir

Fakir Chand in Bangalore and Sadananda R in Chamarajnagar

In the wake of the Supreme Court's latest order on Thursday directing Karnataka to start releasing Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, thousands of farmers across the river basin have threatened to revive their agitation if the state implements the court order.

Speaking to rediff.com, the head of the Cauvery River Protection Committee, G Made Gowda, held Karnataka Chief Minister S M Krishna 'responsible' for the crisis.

"He [Krishna] should not have given any written commitment to the Supreme Court when it asked [Karnataka] to release 1.25 tmcft of water to Tamil Nadu on September 3. He knew the water levels in the state's reservoirs and should have refused to abide by the order, and then immediately applied for a review," he said. "Again he should not have agreed to release 0.8 tmcft of water to Tamil Nadu when Cauvery River Authority passed its order on September 8. But he made a mistake by giving a written acceptance of the order."

Earlier, addressing the media at Mandya, Gowda said Krishna should quit rather than release water to Tamil Nadu.

"If the state government implements the latest order, we will have no alternative but revive the agitation, which we suspended a fortnight ago in good faith, and in response to an appeal by Krishna after his week-long padayatra," he said.

Gowda claimed the present storage levels in the four reservoirs across the Cauvery river basin were not even sufficient for the standing crops and the drinking water supply needs of the towns and cities in the four southern districts.

"As we have to wait for another nine months till the next southwest monsoon breaks in June/July 2003, there is no question of releasing any water to Tamil Nadu, which will anyway get water from the northeast monsoon anytime now," Gowda said.

Some reports said agitated farmers have already begun road blockades on the busy Bangalore-Mysore state highway.

As a precautionary measure, the Southern Railway has cancelled all train services between Bangalore and Mysore.

Railway sources told rediff.com in Bangalore that the services may remain suspended for the next two days in anticipation of 'trouble'.

Inter-city bus services between Bangalore and Mysore and other places via Mysore are also likely to be suspended on Friday, Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation sources said.

The Indian Railways and the KSRTC had suffered a combined loss of Rs 12 crore [Rs 120 million] due to damage and suspension of services during the recent month-long farmers' agitation.

Meanwhile, the state police have rushed additional forces to Mandya, Mysore, and Chamarajnagar districts to 'maintain peace and normalcy'.

ALSO SEE:
SC flays Karnataka for disobeying its order

Cauvery Water Dispute: The Complete Coverage

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