Ministers Basavaraj Bommai and Jagadish Shetttar during the Legislative Assembly session in Bengaluru on Thursday.  

Karnataka will soon approach Supreme Court with an original suit against Tamil Nadu’s decision to unilaterally go ahead with the Cauvery-Vellaru-Vaigai-Gundar link project to utilise excess water in the Cauvery basin and transfer it to its southern districts.

Home, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Basavaraj Bommai told the Legislative Council that the State government will seek legal recourse, and that expert opinions have been taken in this connection.

Firm stance

“We will ensure that the interest of the State is protected,” he said, in reply to a question from Congress member M. Narayanswamy.

Mr. Bommai also said that the utilisation of surplus water requires permission of all the basin States and that Karnataka has submitted its opposition to the Centre, and the Central Water Commission.

No State nod

Adding to Mr. Bommai’s statement, Deputy Chief Minister Govind Karjol said that the link scheme to which Tamil Nadu laid foundation last month did not have the approval of the State.

Earlier, Mr. Narayanswamy accused the State government of not doing enough to oppose the project.

He pointed out that Tamil Nadu had written to the Centre, seeking funds for the project, in January while Karnataka’s opposition to officially came on March 1 through letters to the Prime Minister and the Union Water Resources Minister.

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