Date:03/10/2002 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2002/10/03/stories/2002100304940100.htm

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Issues sorted out: Cauvery panel chief

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI OCT. 2. A meeting of the Chief Secretaries of riparian States held here this evening after the Cauvery Monitoring Committee visited Karnataka and Tamil Nadu has "sorted out issues", according to the panel chief, A.K. Goswami.

Talking to presspersons before leaving for New Delhi, Mr. Goswami said he was not in a position to elaborate. He would submit the team's report to the Supreme Court tomorrow.

The 13-member team visited Tamil Nadu today and yesterday and Karnataka late last month following a Supreme Court directive to take stock of the drought conditions.

Asked if the team had achieved the objectives it had set for itself, Mr. Goswami replied in the affirmative and added that during the visit the team received excellent cooperation from Tamil Nadu.

It visited Nagapattinam, Thanjavur and Karaikkal and met farmers and also conducted an aerial survey of the affected areas, apart from looking at the water level in the Mettur reservoir.

Farmers and the Tamil Nadu team had made out a case for "urgent release of water" to at least save crops this time.

Farmers in the delta areas told the team that because of the lack of water in the Cauvery, they had suffered crop losses last time.