LAHORE, Sept 19: The Indus River System Authority has convened a special meeting on Monday in Islamabad to consider Punjab's application for increasing releases in the Chashma-Jhelum Link Canal.

Punjab has been insisting on increase in its quota through the canal for saving standing crops of cotton and rice. It hopes that supply to the southern cotton belt would improve considerably with the increase.

The Punjab irrigation department has decided to run all its canals to their capacity till Sept 25. This, according to the department, is meant to minimize damage to current crops. According to a spokesman for the department, Irsa had calculated a shortage of 53 per cent in its Sept 4 meeting.