Minister urges PM to impress upon K'taka to release water

Concerned over the plight of Tamil Nadu farmers as a fallout of the Cauvery crisis, Union Shipping Minister G K Vasan on Thursday appealed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to impress upon Karnataka to release water from its dams to Tamil Nadu to save the samba crop.

"Karnataka not releasing water to Tamil Nadu is a wrong decision which should not be allowed," Vasan told the prime minister in his brief meeting with him in Delhi.

As compared to last year, Tamil Nadu has witnessed 50 per cent less rainfall this year and if the situation continued in the Delta region "there is a danger of drought," he said.

Karnataka should abide by the ruling of the prime minister, as head of the Cauvery River Authority, asking it to release 9,000 cusecs of water, which was endorsed by the Supreme Court, he added.

Vasan said the prime minister gave a patient hearing and assured "we will definitely discuss on the issue so that justice is done."