Krishna meets Vajpayee, key CRA meet on Feb 10

A crucial meeting of the Cauvery River Authority (CRA) to decide on the distress sharing formula of river waters between Karnataka and Tamil...

A crucial meeting of the Cauvery River Authority (CRA) to decide on the distress sharing formula of river waters between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu has been convened on February 10. The decision was taken during a meeting between Karnataka Chief Minister S.M. Krishna and Prime Minister A.B Vajpayee here today.

Talking to reporters, Water Resources Minister Arjun Charan Sethi said that the meeting, ‘‘most probably’’, will be held on February 10.

Urban Development Minister Ananth Kumar, who was also present, said that Krishna requested Vajpayee to convene the CRA meeting at an early date. Kumar added that the meeting should decide on the distress sharing formula as Karnataka was in the grip of a severe drought.

Story continues below this ad

The decision to convene a meeting comes in the wake of Supreme Court asking Attorney General Soli Sorabjee on January 31 to inquire from the Centre the possibility of an early meeting of the CRA, headed by Prime Minister, to resolve the issue.

The apex court had asked Sorabjee to ascertain from the Government the likely dates for a meeting and intimate the same to the Court latest by Tuesday.

The last two CRA meetings convened on Nov 29 and Jan 13 were cancelled abruptly due to lack of quorum.

A decision to release 1,200 cusecs of water per day to Tamil Nadu for January and February was taken at an official-level meeting last month.