A day after Tamil Nadu petitioned the Supreme Court seeking over Rs.2,000 crore in damages from Karnataka, the latter said it had released more Cauvery river water than its due to its neighbour in the last one year.
The state can prove that "in the Water Year 2012-13 (June 1 to May 31), Tamil Nadu got more water than required for its rice crops at the cost of our crops in drought-affected areas in the Cauvery Basin in Karnataka", Water Resources Minister M.B. Patil said in a statement here.
On Tamil Nadu's petition in the apex court, Patil said: "A proper response will be filed by our legal team."
The Tamil Nadu government has moved the Supreme Court seeking Rs.1,045.7 crore for damages to crops and power generation and Rs.1,434 crore as penalty from Karnataka for not releasing Cauvery water as decided by a tribunal in 2007.
Both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have challenged the tribunal's award on the ground that they have got less share than required. The matter is pending in the Supreme Court.