K'taka to file fresh plea before Cauvery panel today

Amid a row over Cauvery water sharing, Karnataka will file a review petition on Tuesday before the Cauvery River Authority after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday made it clear that only the authority can revisit the decision about the state releasing water to Tamil Nadu. Cauvery row

Amid a row over Cauvery water sharing, Karnataka will file a review petition on Tuesday before the Cauvery River Authority after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday made it clear that only the authority can revisit the decision about the state releasing water to Tamil Nadu.

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Congress' union ministers from Karnataka SM Krishna, Mallikarjun Kharge and K H Muniyappa and 16 BJP MPs from the state, led by M Venkaiah Naidu, met Singh separately today seeking a review of the CRA decision.

"Both the groups sought a stay. The PM told them that it is not permissible as there is no mechanism under CRA to change its award...it is not the decision of the PM but of the CRA. The CRA will have to meet again for any such thing," Water Resources Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, who was present in the meetings, said here.

Later, speaking to reporters, Karnataka CM Jagdish Shettar said the state would file a review petition before the CRA tomorrow and demanded that Singh take up the issue immediately.

"The Cauvery case came up in the SC today (on Monday). Our counsel said the state is not in a position to release any water (to Tamil Nadu). This is the stand of the government. We will meet the PM tomorrow (on Tuesday) and file a review petition," he said. On September 19, the CRA had directed Karnataka to release 9000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu daily between September 20 and October 15.