Karnataka Wednesday said the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal's award on water sharing was "not acceptable' to it and reiterated its decision to file a petition seeking its review as an all-party meeting to decide the state's next step remained inconclusive.
After holding discussions with opposition leaders, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said the meeting was inconclusive as they had sought copies of the order on the award by the tribunal but added no date had been fixed for the next meeting.
Kumaraswamy, however, reaffirmed that the state would file a review petition within the stipulated 90 days before the tribunal which allotted 270 tmc ft to the state. The petition would be decided on the basis of consultations with irrigation and legal experts and opposition leaders, he said.
In the assembly, Water Resource Minister K S Eshwarappa said the award was not acceptable and the allocation made by the tribunal was "insufficient". "We want 408 tmc ft for irrigating 27.28 lakh acres, 46 tmc ft for drinking, four tmc ft for industries and 7 tmc ft for power generation".
Faced with a barrage of criticism from the combined opposition, the government disowned the reported opinion expressed by its lawyers, including eminent jurist Fali S Nariman, that the award was fair.
"It is not the official reaction of the state government. It is only the opinion of advocates," Kumaraswamy told the agitated opposition members. Protests in parts of Bangalore and in Mandya and Mysore, the sensitive districts in the Cauvery basin, continued for the third day but remained peaceful.
Kumaraswamy said the World Kannada conference, slated to be held in Belgaum from February 22 to 25, had been deferred. Kannada activists held a procession at Basaveshwaranagar and Malleshwaram in Bangalore, affecting movement of traffic. Except for stoppage of Shatabdi Express in Mandya and Maddur for over half an hour, the situation remained "absolutely peaceful", Karnataka Director General of Police K R Srinivasan said.
In Mandya, a local committee of farmers led by former Lok Sabha member G Made Gowda decided to continue the agitation from February 9.