Saturday, July 16 2005 12:47 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, today (July 16, 2005) requested the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, to convene the meeting of the Cauvery River Authority (CRA) forthwith so as to ensure that "Karnataka releases water in the Cauvery to Mettur Dam as per the interim order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal".

"What requires to be done immediately is to get Karnataka to release Tamil Nadu's due share of water as per the interim order of the Tribunal", she said in a letter to the Prime Minister.

Highlighting the situation, she said the agricultural operations for the traditional Kuruvai crop could not be undertaken for the fourth consecutive year as the Karnataka "has not released water to Mettur Dam in Tamil Nadu, as per interim order" of the tribunal "and has not adhered at all to the monthly/weekly schedule of releases prescribed in the interim order".

Karnataka has to release water on regular monthly/weekly basis as per interim order "and this has to be ensured. I have already brought to your notice that the interim order of the cauvery water disputes tribunal has all the force and effect of an order of the Supreme Court of India", she said.

Even though some surplus water is flowing from Kabini Reservoir to Mettur Dam as on July 15 (Yesterday), at Mettur Reservoir, "we have received only 13.70 TMC ft as against the prescribed quantity of 31.54 TMC ft leaving a shortfall of 17.84 TMC ft of water", she said.