Cauvery tribunal's final award notified, K'taka disappointed

Bangalore, Feb 20: After the Centre notified the final award of the

Water Disputes Tribunal on Wednesday ignoring Karnataka's pleas not to do so, Chief Minister

expressed disappointment over the notification as per which the state will get 270 thousand million cubic (tmc) feet of water.

Since Karnataka had appealed for as much as 465 tmcft, the state was not satisied by the tribunal's final award and had urged the UPA government not to notify it. A delegation led by Shettar even submitted a memorandum regarding this to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Feb 18.

However, the PM had little option as the Supreme Court recently set Feb 20 as the deadline for notifying the final award. Besides, Tamil Nadu was pressing for an immediate notification as the tribunal had awarded 419 tmcft of Cauvery water to it.

Of the total 740 tmcft covered by the final award, Kerala and Pondicherry got 30 tmcft and 7 tmcft respectively.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa hailed the notification and described it as "a great victory" for her and the state government." Farmers of the Cauvery delta districts in TN would benefit the most from the final award, she told newspersons in Chennai.

According to Jayalalithaa, now that the award has been notified Karnataka is bound by it and cannot therefore deny Tamil Nadu its rightful share in the future. Referring to her 30-year-long political career, she said that for the "first time in these years, I have a sense of fulfilment and achievement today."

Jayalalithaa pointed out that the Centre had been "reluctant" to notify the tribunal's interim award and the final award too was kept on the back burner until the apex court intervened. "We are grateful to the Supreme Court for giving us justice," she added.

Incidentally, farmers' organisations in Karnataka have reacted negatively to the notification. Incidents of stone pelting have been reported from some places in the state. The ruling BJP had anticipated this trouble. Hence, security had been beefed up in districts such as Mysore and Mandya where emotions are running high. The state government is planning to ask the prime minister to review the decision within six months.

OneIndia News