Amid demands by leaders from Karnataka to review the Cauvery River Authority’s decision to ask the State to release 9,000 cusecs of water daily to Tamil Nadu, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has convened a meeting of political leaders from the State on Monday.
Leaders from Karnataka, including External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna, Power Minister Veerappa Moily and BJP leader Ananth Kumar, besides Water Resources Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal are likely to meet the Prime Minister in Delhi for consultations on the issue.
The consultations come ahead of the Cauvery monitoring committee meeting slated for October 11. The monitoring panel will decide release of water from Karnataka after October 15. The Cauvery River Authority last month directed Karnataka to release 9,000 cusecs of water to its neighbouring State between September 20 and October 15.
Amid a raging dispute between the two States, a Central team is already visiting the States to see the water level in reservoirs, the condition of the standing crops and the water flow. This visit will help the Cauvery Monitoring Committee to take a call on the issue.
Tamil Nadu had demanded release of 24,000 cusecs of water.