Bengaluru: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K Shivakumar on Wednesday said that the Karnataka state is facing a 40 per cent distress situation in the current year and urged the opposition parties to sideline politics to protect the interests of the state.
Speaking at the all-party meeting to discuss the issues of Cauvery, Mahadayi and Mekedatu projects, Shivakumar reiterated that when it comes to irrigation, politics should not be carried out.
“There is no compromise on protecting the interests of the state. The government will continue legal battle and all leaders should cooperate and come together to safeguard the interests of the state unitedly,” he said.
Advocate General Shashikiran Shetty explained that due to the failure of South West Monsoon in the Cauvery basin of Karnataka and Kerala, the 2023-24 has turned out to be a year of crisis.
He said that the Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee has noted the shortage of rainfall till June. On August 10, it directed the release of 15,000 cusecs of water from the Cauvery River. After the state registered its protest the quantity of water has been reduced to 10,000 cusecs.
He said that the Tamil Nadu is not happy with the development and has appealed Supreme Court for the release of water. The matter is coming before the bench headed by three judges.
The statement from the office of Shivakumar maintained that former chief ministers B.S. Yediyurappa, D.V. Sadananda Gowda, Veerappa Moily, MP’s Sumalatha Ambareesh, Jaggesh, Hanumantaiah, Muniswamy, G.M. Siddeshwara and MLA Darshan Puttanaiah and others who spoke on the matter extended their support for the legal battle over Cauvery issue.
Former Chief Ministers Basavaraj Bommai, H.D. Kumaraswamy, Jagadish Shettar, and D.V. Sadananda Gowda, Minister for Law H.K. Patil, Minister for Agriculture N. Cheluvarayaswamy, Minister for Home G. Parameshwara, Minister for Energy K.J. George, and Minister for Revenue Krishna Bhyregowda, MLAs and MPs from all parties, Chief Secretary Vandita Sharma, Additional Chief Secretary for the Chief Minister Rajanesh Goyel, Additional Chief Secretary for Water Resources Department Rakesh Singh, senior advocate Mohan Kataraki, legal experts and senior officers were also present at the meeting.
–IANS
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