All-party meet to discuss Cauvery issue

BANGALORE: Karnataka Chief Minister S M Krishna has convened an all-party meeting here on Wednesday to discuss the Cauvery river water issue and also brief the opposition on the deliberations of the Cauvery River Authority meeting at New Delhi.
Krishna is expected to seek the guidance of the opposition parties on persuading farmers and other organisations to call off their ongoing agitation against release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, official sources said.
Krishna also reviewed the law and order situation at a top level meeting, attended by Home Minister Mallikarjun Kharge, Home Commissioner Adip Choudhary and DGP, V V Bhaskar.
Parts of Mandya district have been witnessing widespread protests since September 4, after the Supreme Court directed Karnataka to release 1.25 tmc ft of water on daily basis till the CRA meets to finalise a distress formula.
Prime Minister A B Vajpayee acceded to the request of Karnataka in convening the CRA meeting on September 8, at which the state was asked to release 9,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu.
However, farmers of Karnataka have been protesting this decision.
Meanwhile, efforts were on to convince various kannada organisations to drop the Bangalore bandh call on September 12.
Meanwhile, protests continued at the KRS dam where leaders of the committee for protection of Mandya district farmers'' interests staged a dharna demanding water should not be released to Tamil Nadu.
The protest was, however, symbolic on Tuesday, a day after hundreds of farmers had laid siege to the dam as part of the "KRS chalo" programme on Monday.
Protests in the form of dharnas and processions were held in Mysore district also, where the crest gates of Kabini reservoir were damaged by protesting farmers on Sunday, blocking the flow of Cauvery water to Tamil nadu.
Tuesday being the Ganesha festival, the protests in Mandya and Mysore districts were symbolic and subdued.