Cauvery water row: K'taka steps up security, braces for protest

Bangalore: Karnataka late on Tuesday stepped up security in Cauvery delta areas to tackle threatened protests ahead of the expected notification Wednesday of a tribunal’s final award on sharing of the river water between Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Purducherry. Orders banning assembly of five or more people near Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) reservoir near Mysore and entry of visitors to the Brindavan Gardens, in force for nearly a week now, have been extended till 22 February, a state government spokesperson told reporters here. [caption id=“attachment_632009” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Karnataka is strongly opposed to the central government notifying the award given five years ago by the Cauvery Waters Dispute Tribunal. AFP[/caption] The spokesperson said steps have been taken to tackle possible protests from farmers and Kannada organisations, particularly in Mysore and Mandya districts, the hotbed of agitation if Cauvery water is to be released to Tamil Nadu when Karnataka is facing drought. Mandya is about 80 km from Bangalore and Mysore is around 50 km from Mandya. Karnataka is strongly opposed to the central government notifying the award given five years ago by the Cauvery Waters Dispute Tribunal. The state has filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the award contending that every years it needs 465 tmc ft (thousand million cubic feet) while the tribunal has given only 270 tmc ft. The tribunal has awarded Tamil Nadu 419 tmc ft as against its demand for 562 tmc ft while Kerala gets 30tmc ft and Puducherry seven tmc ft. Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar lead an all-party team to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi Monday and urged him not to notify the award. However, the central government has been left with little option but to notify the award as the Supreme Court Feb 4 directed it to do so by Feb 20. The tribunal estimates availability of water in the Cauvery basin at 740tmc ft. IANS