“I had, in my letter dated 18.5.2012, brought to your notice the urgent need for convening a meeting of the Cauvery River Authority to decide certain specific issues.
My request is yet to be acceded to.  
         The Interlocutory Application filed by the Government of Tamil Nadu before the Supreme Court in July 2012, came up for hearing on 13.8.2012.  The Government of Tamil Nadu sought a direction to the Union of India to convene
a meeting of the Cauvery River Authority. The Hon’ble Supreme Court sought the views of the Government of India regarding convening a meeting of the Cauvery River Authority.
          You are aware that, according to the Rules and Regulations for the conduct of the business of the Cauvery River Authority, the quorum for the meeting shall be 3 members in addition to the Chairperson and  further, the decision shall ordinarily be by consensus and that, in case no consensus is reached, the decision may be left to the Chairperson. You may recall that the Hon’ble Supreme Court in its order dated 6.2.2003 in an I.A. filed by the State of Tamil Nadu (I.A. No. 3/2003 in O.S. No.3/2002), inter-alia, had directed that in the absence of unanimity or consensus, the decision of the Hon’ble Prime Minister who is the Chairperson of the Cauvery River Authority shall be decisive. Therefore, without prejudice to the pending proceedings in the Supreme Court, the Hon’ble Prime Minister as the Chairperson may convene a meeting of the Cauvery River Authority and the Distress Sharing Formula can be adopted as a situation of distress has arisen now.
         I wish to bring to your notice that the Government of Karnataka has not released any water from its reservoirs during the irrigation year of 2012-2013, while it has opened the reservoir for its irrigation. However, the Mettur Dam could not be opened till date due to the reluctance of the Government of Karnataka even to share minimum flows. According to the Interim Order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal which is in force, as on 23.8.2012 Mettur Dam should have realised 95.480 TMC ft. against which only a meagre quantity of 9.187 TMC ft. has been realised. Further, according to the Distress Sharing Formula evolved by the Central Water Commission, Mettur Dam should have realised about 43.837 TMC ft. as on 23.8.2012.  The farmers in the Cauvery Delta, having lost the Kuruvai crop, are hoping at least to raise one single Samba crop for their livelihood. It is, therefore, imperative that the Government of Karnataka is advised to release water to make good the shortfall quantity as per the Distress Sharing Formula and also to share the flows in this distress situation.
          May I, therefore, once again request you to kindly convene
a meeting of the Cauvery River Authority forthwith? 
          I, further, request that pending convening the meeting of the Cauvery River Authority, the Government of Karnataka may be advised to release water for raising the Samba crop in the Cauvery Basin of Tamil Nadu.“