Bangalore/New Delhi:
As tempers run high in Karnataka on Supreme Court's directions to release 9000 cusecs of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, the top court will be taking up Karnataka's petition for staying that order.
On September 28, the Supreme Court had directed Karnataka to obey the directions of the Cauvery Regulatory Authority (CRA), headed by the Prime Minister, to release 9000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu till October 15.
The Cauvery River Authority was set up to look into the constant conflict, which is more than a century old, between the two states over water sharing.
Though Karnataka released water to Tamil Nadu, it led to agitations by politicians and farmers in the Cauvery belt in Karnataka.
External Affairs Minister SM Krishna, who hails from Karnataka, wrote a letter to the Prime Minister to stop release of water to Tamil Nadu as Karnataka is facing drought.
Karnataka's petition says that order of the CRA to release the waters was "impractical". The government also said that the state was having a "distress water year". Tamil Nadu too has said that crops have been severely affected due to water shortage.
In 2003-04, under similar circumstances, Karnataka released around 38 TMC of water till January which comes around 3800 cusecs per day. At that time too, the Karnataka government had declared it a "water distress year". So it argues that the same logic should be use now.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has, meanwhile, convened a meeting of political leaders from the state today.
Leaders from Karnataka, including External Affairs Minister SM Krishna, Power Minister Veerappa Moily and BJP leader Ananth Kumar besides Water Resources Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal are likely to meet the Prime Minister in Delhi for consultations on the contentious water dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
The consultations come ahead of the Cauvery monitoring committee meeting slated on October 11. The monitoring panel will decide the release of water from Karnataka after October 15.
Amid a raging water-sharing dispute between the two southern states, a Central team is already visiting the two states to see water level in reservoirs, the condition of standing crops and water flow. This visit will help the Cauvery Monitoring Committee (CMC) to take a call on the issue.
Tamil Nadu had demanded release of 24,000 cusecs of water, while the Supreme Court had asked Karnataka to release 10,000 cusecs. The CRA, after hearing the views of both the states, awarded release of 9,000 cusecs.
The CMC comprises officials of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Pudducherry, besides central representatives.
(With PTI inputs)