Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government has sought compensation amounting to Rs 2,480 crore from Karnataka for refusing to release Cauvery water to the State despite getting a Supreme Court directive on the same.

The apex court in its sitting today ordered both the Tamil Nadu and the Karnataka governments to file a list of witnesses in a week’s time. Further, the Court added that the details of witnesses’ affidavit should also be listed within four weeks. Earlier the apex court on 4 January announced that it would continue the hearing of the Cauvery water issue on 7 February.

A bench of the Supreme Court headed by Justice Dipak Misra and comprising Justice Amitava Roy and Justice A M Khanwilkar extended the interim order in the water issue, directing Karnataka to release 2,000 cusecs of Cauvery water per day to Tamil Nadu, till it rules on the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal (CWDT) order. The bench had said that it will conduct day-to-day hearings on the appeals filed by Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala against the 2007 award of the tribunal on sharing of water.

At this juncture, the Tamil Nadu government has sought a compensation of Rs 2,480 crore from Karnataka to address the drought conditions and the loss due to that in the delta district as the Northeast monsoon too failed this time.