What perturbed the AP Government more was Karnataka's deliberate move to install gates higher than its permitted size despite an assurance to the Supreme Court that it would abide by its verdict. While Karnataka is keen on having gates of 15.24 ft height, AP is maintaining they cannot be more than 9 ft.

Major Irrigation Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao, who reviewed the situation following reports that the arrangements were complete for the erection of bigger size gates on the spillway of the Almatti Dam, expressed anguish over Karnataka's attitude.

Speaking to The Indian Express, he said that AP would bring Karnataka's moves to the notice of the apex court, which will hear the case on October 6. ``We are waiting for the Supreme Court's orders at the next adjournment and hope that we will get justice,'' he said.

Andhra Pradesh had filed a petition in the Supreme Court on March 21, 1997, alleging that Karnataka was going to store around 400 tmc of water as against the stipulated 173 tmc as per the Bachawat Award, which governs the distribution of Krishna water between the three riparian states of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh till the year 2000.

However, the Karnataka government told the apex court that it was not going to utilise water above than what was allotted to it. But, when Karnataka Irrigation Minister Nage Gowda maintained that it was entitled to raise the dam height upto 524 ft, the AP government filed a contempt petition in the Supreme Court on July 10 this year.

AP is aware that Karnataka had designed bigger size gates and that it was just waiting for the disposal of the case. However, top AP officials are of the view that nothing can be done at this juncture as the court would be taking up the case in two weeks.

``We hope Karnataka will not do anything before Oct 6. If it chooses to violate its assurance to the Supreme Court and the Bachawat Award, I leave the next course of action to your imagination,'' Nageswara Rao said. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who is currently in the US, too was posted with the information.

Meanwhile, a senior AP official who was dealing with the inter-state water disputes was dispatched to Delhi today to consult legal experts over the reported moves of Karnataka.