The Hindu : Willing to meet Jayalalithaa: Krishna

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 23, 2002

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Willing to meet Jayalalithaa: Krishna

By Gargi Parsai

NEW DELHI OCT. 22. The Karnataka Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, today said he was willing to meet the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, to break the impasse over distress sharing of the Cauvery waters. He said he favoured the interlinking of river basins as a long term solution to the problem and that he had written to the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, to convene a meeting of the Cauvery River Authority (CRA) on the issue.

He, however, did not support nationalisation of rivers ''which had undertones and overtones''.

Speaking to select mediapersons on the eve of the Supreme Court hearing on the contempt petitions against him for not implementing the decisions of the CRA and the court, Mr. Krishna said he was willing to talk to "the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, the Tamil Nadu Government and the representatives of all political parties''. (Karnataka today sought adjournment of the contempt hearing on Wednesday by two weeks.)

On who should take the initiative, he said, ''I cannot write to the CM of TN to invite me. Some interested third-party like Cho Ramaswamy and Prof. Ananth Murty, could take the initiative.''

Asked why another CRA meeting was being sought when its decisions were not implemented in the past by his State, the Karnataka Water Resources Minister, H.K. Patil, who was also present, said they wanted the CRA to scale down the quantum of water to be released from 8000 cusecs to "about 5,000 to 6,000 cusecs" in view of the drought situation in the State. "I have faith in the Prime Minister and in the Authority. I am sure he will convene a meeting," Mr Krishna said. He said Karnataka had released 30.09 tmcft (thousand million cubic feet) during September, as against 42.02 tmcft and in October till 24th, had released 11.17 tmcft as against the stipulated 16.33 tmcft.

Mr. Krishna said that with uncertain monsoons, a permanent solution would be the interlinking of the peninsular rivers leading eventually to the linking of the Ganga and the Cauvery, which would be in larger national interest. There should be political will. Bonds should be raised and people's participation should be there. "Let Karnataka, T.N. and the nation pay a price for it. Beneficiaries will anyway pay for it through water rates and cess. Every litre should be paid for.''

Asked whether he hardened his stand on water releases to Tamil Nadu because of Ms Jayalalithaa's controversial statement on the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi's citizenship, Mr. Krishna said, "That is oversimplifying things. There is no compromise on (Ms. Gandhi's citizenship issue) and we have a genuine (water) problem."

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