Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar is likely to convene a meeting of Karnataka Lok Sabha members soon to ask them to pressure the Union government not to constitute the Cauvery Management Board (CMB) till two appeals filed by Karnataka in the Supreme Court are disposed.
A delegation of Mandya Jilla Raithara Hitarakshana Samiti, which is spearheading a campaign on the Cauvery row, headed by former MP G Made Gowda, met Shettar in Bangalore on Thursday.
Expressing concern over the notification of the final orders of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) on Wednesday, the Samiti leaders urged the CM to take steps to protect the interest of people in the Cauvery Basin.
Shettar, who gave a patient hearing to the delegation, explained the efforts being made in this regard.
T Timmegowda, a retired IAS officer, who was part of the delegation, told Express that they wanted the state government to press the Centre to make amendments to the Inter-State Water Dispute Act to enable the aggrieved states to file an appeal.
Former managing director of Kaveri Niravari Nigam, Timmegowda said the CM has appealed to the MPs to raise their voice when the Centre takes up the issue in the Lok Sabha.
The state government was asked to pump in additional resources on all pending irrigation projects so as to irrigate 18.85 lakh acres in the Cauvery basin.
Meanwhile, former prime minister H D Deve Gowda met Governor H R Bhardwaj on Thursday. They were closeted for more than 30 minutes. Gowda said it was a courtesy call and no political issue was discussed.