Date:28/03/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/03/28/stories/2004032807230300.htm

Karnataka - Bijapur

`Expert panel needed to argue before tribunal'

By Our Staff Correspondent

BIJAPUR, MARCH 27. The Bheema Nadi Neeru Rakshana Raithavarga Samiti has urged the State Government to form a committee of irrigation and legal experts to plead the State's case before the new tribunal on sharing of Krishna waters.

Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, Panchappa Kalburgi, president of the samiti, said the State's case was poorly presented before the previous tribunal headed by R.S. Bachawat. As a result, it was deprived of its rightful share of Krishna waters. He said the Krishna river catchment area spanned 2.6 lakh square km. As much as 43.8 per cent of the area was in Karnataka, 26.8 per cent in Maharashtra and 29.4 per cent in Andhra Pradesh. But the State got an allocation of only 734 tmcft. of water, whereas Andhra Pradesh got 811 tmcft. Maharashtra was allocated 580 tmcft., which was almost proportionate to the catchment area inside its border.