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Krishna rules out releasing water

Karnataka Chief Minister S M Krishna on Friday virtually ruled out releasing water to Tamil Nadu.

Following the Supreme Court directive to release 9,000 cusecs [0.8 thousand million cubic feet] of water every day in accordance with the Cauvery River Authority order, the chief minister said in New Delhi that an emergency cabinet meeting had been called on Saturday to discuss the matter.

State Home Minister Mallikarjuna Kharge said in Bangalore that an all-party meet had been convened on Sunday to evolve a consensus on the issue.

Meanwhile, tension gripped Mandya town after the Supreme Court verdict. Shops and business establishments were closed.

Traffic between Bangalore and Mysore was thrown out of gear and vehicles had to be diverted.

Mysore also witnessed tense moments and most shops were shut. Agitators assembled at the heart of the city.

"We are with you [Krishna] if you protect farmers' interest. If you fail to do so we will agitate against the state government," they declared.

"Let them bring the military. We will not release water to Tamil Nadu. We will fight to the finish," Cauvery River Protection Committee president Made Gowda told rediff.com

"Now it is up to the state government to prove its commitment and protect the interest of Karnataka farmers," he said.

"Now he [Krishna] has to tell the Supreme Court and the CRA that he cannot release water," Gowda said. "It is time for him to prove his commitment to the farmers' interest."

"As we said earlier, we will take over the dams of Karnataka. We will manage the dams on our own. We will try our best to protect our standing crops," Gowda added.

"We are driven to the wall. If we release water, our reservoirs would go dry in a few days. We will have no water to drink," he said.

State Law Minister D B Chandra Gowda announced that Karnataka would ask Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to convene a meeting of the CRA as soon as possible.

Since the Supreme Court said the CRA could review its decision, the law minister said it was the only way to overcome the crisis.

With additional reportage from news agencies

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