Bengaluru: Amid escalating tensions over the Cauvery water-sharing dispute, Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay’s proposed visit to Bengaluru Monday to iron out differences is likely to be deferred. Karnataka CM D K Shivakumar Friday urged his counterpart to reconsider the trip, saying the current atmosphere was not conducive for discussions.Shivakumar’s appeal comes amid widespread protests in Karnataka opposing the Cauvery Water Management Authority’s (CWMA) directive asking the state to release 3,500 cusecs of water a day to Tamil Nadu for 15 days.Kannada organisations Friday called for a statewide bandh on Aug 13, while farmer associations have threatened to lay siege to Bengaluru airport and the venue of the proposed talks if Vijay lands in the state.Shivakumar said Karnataka would decide its next course of action after Sunday’s all-party meeting and consultations with the legal experts.With TN indicating it would move the Supreme Court over what it termed as Karnataka’s non-compliance with the CWMA order, water resources department officials said the state may have to release some water while contesting the case.CM Shivakumar, while stating that Karnataka would comply with the SC-mandated annual allocation, renewed his push for the Mekedatu balancing reservoir project, saying it would benefit TN more than Karnataka.Thursday, CWMA rejected Karnataka’s appeal against the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee’s directive to release 3,500 cusecs of water a day to TN for 15 days, starting July 29, triggering protests across the Cauvery basin.Renewing his push for the Mekedatu balancing reservoir project, Shivakumar said it would benefit TN more than Karnataka.“Karnataka will get only about 400 MW of power and drinking water. The 66 tmcft stored there cannot be used for irrigation. In difficult times, when orders come to release water, we will follow,” he said, adding that Karnataka would comply with the Supreme Court-mandated annual allocation.Shivakumar further said Karnataka had earlier released far more water than its mandated share because of abundant rainfall. “Over the last three years, we received very good rainfall. People were happy, agriculture benefited, and nearly 400 tmcft flowed to Tamil Nadu instead of 177 tmcft,” he said.
