Maharashtra will have to rethink about water supply to K'taka, says minister

Amid the simmering border dispute Maharashtra minister Shambhuraj Desai on Wednesday said if Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai does not stop making irresponsible statements Maharashtra will have to rethink about water supply from its dams to the neighbouring stateThe Maharashtra government last month appointed cabinet members Chandrakant Patil and Shambhuraj Desai as nodal ministers to coordinate with the legal team regarding a court case on the states border dispute with KarnatakaAddressing reporters in the Vidhan Bhavan complex Desai slammed Bommai over Karnataka governments stand that not an inch of land will be given to MaharashtraThe Karnataka legislature has reiterated the states stand that the border issue is a settled one and not an inch of land will be given to the neighbouring stateDuring a debate on the border dispute in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Tuesday CM Bommai himself suggested passing a unanimous resolution in both Houses of the state legislature reiterating and asserting the standAlso Read Raise height of dams on rivers flowing into Karnataka to rein it in NCP leader Jayant PatilDesai said he condemns such comments which do not suit Bommai as he holds a constitutional postWhen the case is subjudice a chief minister using such a threatening language is not good and he should stop it he saidEven Maharashtra can reply in the same language and he should not provoke us Desai saidMaharashtra is maintaining patience and the Karnataka CM should keep in mind that the southern state is very much dependent on water supply from the Koyna and Krishna dams in Maharashtra during the dry season of March and April he saidIf Karnataka does not stop making such statements then Maharashtra will have to rethink over the water being supplied to the neighbouring state Desai saidMaharashtra stands firm with the Marathispeaking people residing in the border areas he addedOn Tuesday Nationalist Congress Party NCP leader Jayant Patil said Maharashtra should raise the height of the upstream dams to rein in KarnatakaThe border issue dates back to 1957 after the reorganisation of states on linguistic linesMaharashtra laid claim to Belagavi which was part of the erstwhile Bombay Presidency as it has a sizeable Marathispeaking population It also laid claim to more than 800 Marathispeaking villages which are currently part of KarnatakaKarnataka maintains the demarcation done on linguistic lines as per the States Reorganisation Act and the 1967 Mahajan Commission Report as finalThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever