Karnataka upset with Cauvery river tribunal

Karnataka has taken objection to the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal?s decision to send its report on crop water requirement to all the riparian states to seek their response.

On Wednesday, the tribunal through a split verdict, made known its plans to rely on a report prepared by its two-member team of assessors on crop water requirements of the riparian states. The tribunal's members justice N S Rao and justice Sudheer Narain ordered the issue of the report copies to Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Pondicherry.

"There is no need for the tribunal to send the report to the riparian states seeking their opinion. It will only add to the confusion apart from fomenting tension. The tribunal should announce its final award," Karnataka water resources minister K S Eshwarappa told reporters here on Thursday.

He contended that the report findings were not supposed to be made public. "The report was meant for internal circulation to arrive at a final decision on allocation of Cauvery water share to all four states. This is a sensitive matter. The state will convene a meeting on Friday and convey its stand on this latest development to the Tribunal," he added.