Karnataka - Raichur   

Government told to call meeting on Cauvery

Staff Correspondent

Dharam Singh says State should be ready to face challenges

Raichur: Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly N. Dharam Singh on Sunday said that the State Government should not lose time in calling an all-party meeting to discuss the recent developments over the issue of Cauvery waters and prepare itself to protect the interests of the State.

Mr. Singh, who was here to attend a private function, said the dispute was coming to an end after 16 years as the term of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal ends on August 7. It would submit its award any time.

However, it has been stalled due to differences among its members, who wanted the Union Government to constitute a three-member expert committee to study the requirements of the four riparian States, he said.

Commenting on the statements of Minister for Water Resources K.S. Eshwarappa, Mr. Singh said Mr. Eshwarappa, instead of holding a meeting of officials of his department, should have held meetings with experts.

He said Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy should convene an all-party meeting without further delay. This would help to take stock of the situation within the State and prepare itself to face challenges.

On the recent pressure by the Maharashtra legislators over the border issue in Belgaum, Mr. Singh said that the State Government should convene an urgent all-party meeting to discuss the issue arising out of the Maharashtra legislators' resolution. Though the State was firm stating that the Mahajan report is final, Mr. Kumaraswamy should take the opinion of legal experts, he said. He [Mr. Kumaraswamy] should lead an all-party delegation to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to present the State's view on the issue, he said. Criticising the Government for its failure to concentrate on the ongoing and pending projects in Krishna Basin, Mr. Singh said that the Government had allocated meagre funds in its budget compared with the allocation made in previous budgets. During 2004-05, the Congress Government gave much importance in speeding up of the projects in Krishna basin. During 2005-06, the Government reserved 29.08 per cent of the total outlay to complete all pending projects such as Karanja and Bennethora, he said.

Mr. Singh said that the Janata Dal (Secular)-Bharatiya Janata Party coalition Government will not complete its full term.

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