Cauvery basin MPs worried about bickerings in the Tribunal

New Delhi, July 28 (UNI) Members belonging to four Cauvery Basin states today expressed their concern in the Rajya Sabha about the dangers of delay in the submission of the final report of the Cauvery Tribunal, due to 'differences' between the Chairman and the members.

Mr V Narayanasamy (Congress) urged the government to give a clear direction to the 16-year-old Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) to submit its final report, which would be in the interest of all parties on the dispute as the term of the Tribunal was ending on August six.

When his party colleague from Karnataka B K Hariprasad taunted that he, being from Pondicherry state, was arguing for Tamil Nadu which did not spare ''even a cup of Cauvery water'' to the Union Territory, Mr Narayanasamy retorted when Karnataka denies water to Tamil Nadu when the KRS dam is full, then it will naturally deny Pondicherry its share of water. Mr Prasad said the dispute was as old as Cauvery river and was sceptical if a solution would be found out. The upper riparian state was put to hardship year after year, he added.

AIADMK's P G Naryanan said his state was shocked about the Tribunal deferring its final order indefintely because of the internal differences within the Tribunal.

Mr Vijay Raghanvan, CPI-M, Kerala felt that the delay will deny Kerala its share of Cauvery waters.

UNI MCN VD HT1340