Cauvery basin states meet called on March 9

Chennai March 5 (IANS) Amidst a strong demand in Tamil Nadu for immediate formation of a Cauvery Water Management Board the Centre has convened a meeting of top officials of the four basin states for consultations in Delhi on March 9 in this regard.

Tamil Nadu Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar told reporters that the state government has received a communication from the Union Water Resources Ministry inviting the Chief Secretaries and Water Resources Secretaries of the four river basin states -- Tamil Nadu Karnataka Kerala and Puducherry -- for consultations on how to implement the recent Supreme Court verdict in the matter.

In its verdict last month the Supreme Court had reduced the water share for Tamil Nadu while raising it for Karnataka and had directed the Centre to constitute a Cauvery River Management Board within six weeks.

All the political parties in Tamil Nadu have been strongly demanding immediate enforcement of this direction and want a meeting with Prime Minister on the issue. But Karnataka is opposed to it.

--IANS
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