Date:07/07/2002 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2002/07/07/stories/2002070704200100.htm

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No water, Krishna to tell PM

By Our Staff Reporter

Bangalore July 6 . The Karnataka Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, said here today, that he was not able to meet the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee's request to part with three tmcft (thousand million cubic feet) of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu as a goodwill gesture to the neighbouring State.

After a Cabinet meeting, which discussed the vexed inter-state issue, Mr. Krishna told the media that the meeting decided to explain to Mr. Vajpayee the `distress situation' Karnataka faced in the Cauvery basin and its difficulty in obliging Tamil Nadu with more water.

Mr. Vajpayee would be apprised of the details of the storage levels in the reservoirs and the meagre inflow into them. However, Mr. Krishna, did not give a direct reply when asked if he would tell the Prime Minister that Karnataka would not release water.

The State Information Minister, Kagodu Thimmappa, said the Government would brief the Prime Minister on the issue. Tamil Nadu has decided to go to the Supreme Court alleging that Karnataka is not implementing the Cauvery Water Tribunal's interim award to release 205 tmcft of water, which it should in a water year.

Recently, a delegation of Tamil Nadu members of Parliament and legislators, from the Pattali Makkal Katchi met Mr. Krishna and submitted a memorandum pressing for water to rescue the Tamil Nadu farmers. This was followed by another delegation led by the Tamil Nadu Congress president, E.V.K.S. Ilangovan, which met Mr. Krishna. Mr. Krishna explained to them the State's situation.