K'taka anxious on Cauvery Tribunal final award

Bangalore, Feb 4: As the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal was all set to deliver its final award on water sharing formula tomorrow Karnataka is much anxious to know on what is in store for its farmers.

The award comes after a wrangling between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka for 17 years.

The formal hearings concluded on April 12, 2006 with the closing of the arguements by the States on 50 issues that had been grouped under three categories.

Karnataka rejected Assessors' Report in May 2006 submitted after inspection of the Cauvery basin.

According to the report, Tamil Nadu was to get 395 tmcft for irrigating 24,70 lakh acres, Karnataka 250 tmcft to irrigate 18.85 lakh acres, Kerala 33.40 tmcft and Pondicherry 7 tmcft. The order put cap on the State's irrigated area of 11.2 lakh acres.

The State faced another crises when then Chief Minister S M Krishna faced a contempt case for declining to release water to Tamil Nadu in 2002.

In September last year, the State released water following the directive from the Apex Court and the Centre. The issue was solved with Mr Krishna apologising to the Court.

The Tribunal was set up in June 1990 decide on the quantum of river water to be shared among Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Pondicherry.

In a recent all party meeting held in the city took the decision to ensure peace in the state and not allow a repeat of the violence that broke out after the prnouncement of the Interim award in 1991.

UNI