Kumbakonam: Union Minister for Water resources P R Dasmunshi today (Aug 22, 2004) said the Centre was making serious efforts to resolve the Cauvery water dispute before 2005.

Inaugurating a seminar on Cauvery issue, organised by the Cauvery Delta Farmers Association in Kumbakonam, he said, "I know how much the farmers of this delta have suffered from 1998 to 2004 due to non-availability of water in the Cauvery river. I am fully aware of even the minute details of the dispute and confident of resolving the dispute at the earliest," he said.

He said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA (United Progressive Alliance) president Sonia Gandhi were keen to resolve the dispute.

He said the Centre was not partial to any State in resolving the difficulties of farmers and considered their problem as a national issue.

He said apart from Congress, Left parties, DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa wanted an early solution to the dispute.

He said the Parliament would hold a debate on the Cauvery issue during the current session of Parliament besides holding a discussion on it with MPs from the States concerned. "A friendly atmosphere would be created to resolve the problem setting aside narrow State politics," he said.

He said Karnataka had not given proper replies to various queries raised by the CRA (Cauvery River Authority).

Asking the State Governments not to politicise water disputes, Dasmunshi said as the river disputes could not be resolved by the Central Government alone, States should also cooperate with it. "On our part we will try to come out with solutions and ask the States to implement it," he said.