The Cauvery Supervisory Committee on Monday asked Karnataka to release 3,000 cusecs of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu every day from September 21 till September 30. However, neither of the states agreed to the proposal, ANI reported. The panel met in New Delhi on Monday to find a solution to the deadlock between the states as they continue to disagree on sharing water from the river that passes through them.

Union Water Resources Ministry Secretary Shashi Shekhar, who heads the panel, said, "They [Tamil Nadu and Karnataka] have not agreed. The two states are free to challenge this order in the Supreme Court when it takes up the matter tomorrow or they can agree with the order before the court."

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This comes a day before the apex court is scheduled to hear the case. Security arrangements have been beefed up in Bengaluru in preparation for possible violence after the court's hearing. The Bangalore Commissioner had ordered the closure of liquor shops in the city on September 20 and 21 ahead of the hearing as a “preventive measure”.

The committee had met on September 12 to resolve the issue, but failed to arrive at a consensus, asking for more information about the crisis from the states. The panel had asked the states to submit data about the extent and impact of the dispute by September 15.

The committee is headed by Shekhar and comprises the chief secretaries of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Puducherry, along with the Central Water Commission chairperson, among others. On September 5, the Supreme Court had asked Tamil Nadu to approach the committee to find a solution to the dispute.

Initially, the apex court had asked Karnataka to release 15,000 cusecs of water from the river to Tamil Nadu, but later modified its order and reduced the quantity to 12,000 cusecs. The court verdict had led to widespread protests carried out by farmers in Karnataka who argued that the state need the water more that its neighbour. Tamil Nadu had also held a bandh on September 16, with farmers' and traders' bodies saying Tamilians had been targeted by Kannadiga protestors.