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Krishna urges PM to hold Cauvery meeting this week

Karnataka Chief Minister S M Krishna telephoned Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Wednesday and urged him to convene a meeting of the Cauvery River Authority to take a decision on sharing water with Tamil Nadu in times of distress.

The Supreme Court had on Tuesday directed Karnataka to release 1.25 thousand million cubic feet of water to Tamil Nadu everyday till a final decision was taken by the Cauvery River Authority.

At the last CRA meeting in New Delhi on August 27, where Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa staged a walkout, it was decided that the distress formula would be worked out in a fortnight and approved at its next meeting, scheduled in the third week of September.

Sources in the chief minister's office told rediff.com that Krishna was waiting for a positive response from the Prime Minister's Office, as Vajpayee would go to the United States next week to attend the UN General Assembly session.

Meanwhile, the state Cabinet meeting that was held earlier in the day to discuss the court's ruling remained inconclusive.

The chief minister has decided to convene the Cabinet again in the evening after the all-party meeting in the afternoon.

The countdown has begun for releasing of water from four reservoirs in the Caurery river basin -- Kabini, Krishna Raja Sagar, Harangi, and Hemavathi. The state government has to now decide whether to open the gates of the dams from Wednesday night or approach the court for a review of its order.

Cauvery Water Dispute: The Complete Coverage

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