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Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Friday said that the government is committed to fighting for farmers in the state and further appealed to the farmers to call off the Saturday's 'Bandh' in Cauvery Water row to ensure that no law and order situation is being disturbed in the state.
Addressing reporters in Bengaluru, DK Shivakumar said, "I think whatever share will be given to Tamil Nadu, we are bound to it. We have been protecting the farmers. I am appealing to everyone no one should interfere, and no one should call for this 'bandh'.You should be very cautious. The court is very strict on these 'bandh' issues. Tomorrow if anything happens, it will be a law and order problem." "So, I appeal to withdraw the 'bandh' immediately. We are there to fight. The Karnataka Government is committed to fight for the sake of the farmers of Karnataka," he added. Various farmer's organisations in Mandya are protesting and have called for a 'Bandh' on September 23 after the Supreme Court on Thursday refused to interfere with the order of Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) to Karnataka on releasing 5,000 cusecs of water every day for now to Tamil Nadu. It said the apex court was not inclined to interfere with the order passed on this aspect by the authority, since the authority and committee were meeting and monitoring the situation every 15 days. It declined to entertain an application filed by the Tamil Nadu government to increase its current share of Cauvery River water from 5,000 to 7,200 cusecs per day. Karnataka in its application stated, "This water year of 2023-24 has begun on a bad note. The south-west monsoon which feeds the catchment in Karnataka has failed miserably. Even at the reservoir level, which covers a part of the catchment, the shortfall is 53.42 per cent. If the shortfall is considered up to the inter-State border Biligundulu, where flows are accountable, shortfall and distress would be much more than 53.42 per cent." Earlier Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said that the Union Jal Shakti Minister assured justice in the Cauvery water dispute during the meeting held in the national capital on Thursday. "The entire state of Karnataka stands united. We all have come together to see that we have to protect the interests of farmers. We have placed on record - what is the position of Karnataka during the distress here," DK Shivakumar said. The matter has been a controversial issue between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu for decades and they have been locked in battle over the sharing of water from the Cauvery river, which is a major source of irrigation and drinking water for millions of people in the region. The Centre formed the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) on June 2, 1990, to adjudicate disputes between Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Puducherry with respect to the water-sharing capacities. (ANI)
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