Centre to take all efforts to make K'taka release Cauvery water

The Centre would take all efforts to make Karnataka release their share of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, Minister of State in PMO V Narayanasamy said here today.

"It is the policy and intention of the Central government to make Karnataka to release their share of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu and Puducherry and we will take all efforts towards this purpose," he told reporters here.

His remarks come in the backdrop of Tamil Nadu government's decision yesterday to file a contempt petition in the Supreme Court against Karnataka over the latter's refusal to release Cauvery water, besides seeking a direction to set up two regulatory bodies to implement the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal's final award.

Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had slammed Karnataka's stand that the Supervisory Committee on Cauvery was not properly formed and it cannot take any decisions and said it amounted to contempt of Court.

The Committee had on June 12 rejected the state's demand for release of water from Karnataka, but promised Tamil Nadu that it would review the situation in the first week of July.

To a question on whether Congress would extend support to DMK in the June 27 Rajya Sabha elections, Narayansamy said "Congress President Sonia Gandhi will take a decision on it. It will be final".

To another query, he ruled out formation of a third-front at the Centre.