Karnataka CM Bommai to hold all-party meeting to discuss Krishna & Cauvery water disputes

A day after Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin announced that the state is preparing to implement the second phase development of the Hogenakkal combined drinking water project, Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai raised his strong objections to it on Saturday and contented that they will oppose the Tamil Nadu government both legally and administratively.

'Will hold all-party consultation on issue': Karnataka CM Bommai

While commenting on the long-pending issue which was revived by the DMK President MK Stalin on Friday, Basavaraj Bommai stated that he had a long discussion regarding the legal aspects of the different court cases regarding both Krishna and Cauvery rivers. The Karnataka government will have a video conference at the end of this month or in the first week of February to discuss the matter further in detail. 
 

Miffed with Tamil Nadu’s push in the matter, despite the conflict being hung up in the court, Bommai stressed that he has taken strong cognizance of Tamil Nadu’s assertion and he will be holding a detailed discussion in the matter with leaders of all the political parties and he will go forward with his move only after holding an all-party consultation.

“We will have a detailed discussion and we will decide the way forward. It has been historical that all the political parties have come together whenever there is a border or water dispute. I have an all-party meeting and we will go forward,” Bommai told ANI. 

Hogenakkal Water Dispute

Hogenakkal Falls are situated at the borders of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, at 46 km from Dharmapuri. Through the site, the river Cauvery enters Tamil Nadu as a big river with gushing water. The historical Hogenakkal Water Conflict is a dispute between the two states over the development of the Hogenakkal Integrated Drinking Water Project. The construction of the project was started by the seasoned DMK leader and former Tamil Nadu CM M Karunanidhi in 2008. The project was approved by the Union Government in 1998 after the Karnataka government approved the construction of the project. The project aims to provide drinking water to people in Tamil Nadu's Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts. However, later the Karnataka governments objected to the development of the project, stating that the Hogenakkal is a part of Karnataka and building a project on it is illegal. Moreover, they also claim that the Cauvery waters in the state will be affected after the construction of the project.

Image: PTI