- News>
Crucial Cauvery River Authority meet on Feb 10
New Delhi, Feb 03: A crucial meeting of Cauvery River Authority (CRA) to decide on the distress sharing formula of river waters between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu has been convened on February 10.
New Delhi, Feb 3: A crucial meeting of Cauvery River Authority (CRA) to decide on the distress sharing formula of river waters between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu has been convened on February 10.
The decision to this effect is understood to have been taken during a meeting Karnataka Chief Minister S M Krishna had with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee here today.
Talking to reporters, Water Resources Minister Arjun Charan Sethi said that the meeting, "most probably", would be held on February 10.
Urban Development Minister Ananth Kumar, who was also present at the meeting, said that the chief minister requested the prime minister to convene the CRA meeting at an early date.
Kumar said that the CRA meeting should decide on the distress sharing formula as Karnataka was in the grip of a severe drought with inadequate water for agriculture and
drinking water purposes.
The decision to convene a CRA meeting comes in the wake of Supreme Court asking attorney general Soli Sorabjee on January 31 to inquire from the Centre the possibility of an early meeting of the CRA, headed by prime minister, to resolve the issue.
The apex court had asked Sorabjee to ascertain from the government the likely dates for a meeting of CRA and intimate the same to the court latest by Tuesday.
The last two CRA meetings convened on November 29 and January 13 were cancelled abruptly due to lack of quorum.
A minimum quorum of three chief ministers is required for holding the CRA meeting, to be chaired by prime minister. Chief ministers of four riparian states--Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry and Kerala are members.
Despite the inability of the CRA to meet here last time on January 13, the water-starved Tamil Nadu got some relief when Karnataka has agreed to release about six tmcft of water till February end as a "goodwill gesture" to save the standing long-term Samba rice crop in that state.
A decision to release 1,200 cusecs of water per day to Tamil Nadu for January and February was taken at an official - level meeting last month.
Bureau Report
The decision to convene a CRA meeting comes in the wake of Supreme Court asking attorney general Soli Sorabjee on January 31 to inquire from the Centre the possibility of an early meeting of the CRA, headed by prime minister, to resolve the issue.
The apex court had asked Sorabjee to ascertain from the government the likely dates for a meeting of CRA and intimate the same to the court latest by Tuesday.
The last two CRA meetings convened on November 29 and January 13 were cancelled abruptly due to lack of quorum.
A minimum quorum of three chief ministers is required for holding the CRA meeting, to be chaired by prime minister. Chief ministers of four riparian states--Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry and Kerala are members.
Despite the inability of the CRA to meet here last time on January 13, the water-starved Tamil Nadu got some relief when Karnataka has agreed to release about six tmcft of water till February end as a "goodwill gesture" to save the standing long-term Samba rice crop in that state.
A decision to release 1,200 cusecs of water per day to Tamil Nadu for January and February was taken at an official - level meeting last month.
Bureau Report