Karnataka Govt. to challenge Krishna tribunal order in Supreme Court

Bangalore, Feb 25 (ANI): Karnataka Government has decided to challenge the verdict of the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal on the division of surplus water from the Krishna River in the Supreme Court of India.

A meeting, which was chaired here today Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa and attended by Karnataka Water Resources Minister Basavaraj Bommai and floor leaders of the Opposition parties felt that the tribunal in its final award has not done justice to Karnataka which had demanded a share of 278 tmcft and was allocated only 178 tmcft.

The meeting, which was also attended by Industries Minister Murgesh Nirani, Minor Irrigation Minister Govind Karjol and JDS leader M C Nanaiah, was convened to discuss and finalise the state's future course of action on the Tribunal order.

Basavaraj Bommai after the meeting said besides contesting the allocation of water before Supreme Court, the state would also file an application seeking clarifications from the Tribunal on why the state's plea for allocating 50 percent of the 448 tmcft available for sharing was not considered.

The Tribunal passing its verdict in December last year allocated the maximum share of 1001 TMC feet of water of the river to Andhra Pradesh, 911 to Karnataka and 666 to Maharashtra.

The Krishna River originates in Maharashtra and flows through Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh before discharging into the Bay of Bengal.

Sharing of Krishna waters has been surrounded in controversy as Karnataka has been seeking to raise the height of the Almatti Dam to 528 metres. It argued that the Union Planning Commission approved the original height of 528 metres in 1978.

But Andhra Pradesh contended that Karnataka has been raising the height of the dam without legal sanction, and in violation of a 1974 tribunal award, accepted by both states. (ANI)