Cauvery basin states meet called on March 9

Amidst a strong demand in Tamil Nadu for the 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.

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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.