Karnataka has started to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu from Monday. The move is in compliance with the Supreme Court order that gave time to Karnataka till today to follow order on release of water to Tamil Nadu.
Today the Supreme court will conduct a hearing on the issue. On Monday, the Karnataka state assembly passed an unanimous resolution empowering the state government to utilise the water stored in its reservoirs for drinking as well as agriculture and other purposes.
The resolution stated that given the increase in storage levels in the Cauvery basin, the State government may take an appropriate decision regarding release of water for irrigation.
In the meanwhile, the Union government told the Supreme Court on Monday that it cannot form the Cauvery Management Board without the approval of Parliament.
The Centre also questioned the judiciary’s powers to intervene in inter-state water disputes, saying it amounted to encroaching on the legislature’s turf. It cited Article 262 of the Constitution that bars judicial intervention in water disputes.