Bangalore: Karnataka Government has convened an all-party meeting to crystallise its stand in the wake of the Supreme Court direction to the Centre, the State, Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry to reply to a petition pointing out deep division within the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT).

Chief Minister N Dharam Singh, Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Water Resources Minister M Mallikarjuna Kharge held a meeting in Bangalore today (Aug 31, 2004) with officials to discuss the issue.

Former Irrigation Minister and JD-U (Janata Dal United) leader H N Nanje Gowda, former Minister Jayaprakash Hegde and Vatal Nagaraj, MLA of Kannada Chaluvali Vatal Paksha also participated in the informal deliberations.

It was decided in the interaction to convene an all-party meeting and discuss the issue in detail, official sources said.

The Supreme Court had on August 20 directed the CWDT to defer by ten days its proposed visit to the river basin and asked the Centre, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Pondicherry to reply within a week to a petition pointing out deep division within the tribunal.

The petition filed by Karnataka-based Gandhi Sahitya Sangha expressed "deep distress" over the functioning of CWDT, which has not been able to complete its work for nearly 15 years.