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PM seeks details on Cauvery panel's visit

By Gargi Parsai

New Delhi Sept. 27. Even before the report of the Cauvery Monitoring Committee that visited Karnataka on Tuesday and Wednesday was submitted, the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, called the Union Water Resources Minister, Arjun Charan Sethi, to his house today and ascertained the details.

The Committee, which returned today, was sent by him for a spot inspection of the Karnataka reservoirs and the Mettur dam in Tamil Nadu as part of a process to resolve the issue of distress sharing between the Cauvery basin States this season when monsoon has been scanty.

Mr. Sethi, who was accompanied by the Chairman of the Cauvery Monitoring Committee and Water Resources Secretary, A. K. Goswami, told Mr. Vajpayee, Chairman of the Cauvery River Authority, that the Central team had visited all the four Karnataka reservoirs but could not visit Tamil Nadu as the State had taken the stand that the matter was "sub judice.''

The Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary had expressed his inability to join the team as the matter was "sub judice'' and later the Tamil Nadu Government said it was not in a position to comply with the request of the Monitoring Committee to visit Mettur.

Mr. Vajpayee was told about the water levels in the Karnataka reservoirs. According to Mr. Sethi, Karnataka had complied with only 50 per cent of the Supreme Court's order of September 3 to release 1.25 tmc ft water to Tamil Nadu and with only 60 per cent of the CRA's order of September 8 to release 0.8 tmc ft water, accountable on a weekly basis through September and October. Karnataka had expressed its inability to make the stipulated releases on account of distress.

The Centre has decided to wait till the Supreme Court hearing on a contempt petition filed by Tamil Nadu against Karnataka, which is coming up on Monday. It is likely that a meeting of the Cauvery Monitoring Committee will be convened soon. Kerala and Pondicherry are the other States which share the Cauvery waters.

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