Saturday 19 September 2015

“Lead all-party delegation to Delhi to pressurize PM”

Noting that just writing letters to the Prime Minister was not enough, DMK President Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi on Sept 6 urged Chief Minister Jayalalitha to lead an all-party delegation to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to prevail upon him to immediately constitute the Cauvery Management Board and Cauvery Water Regulation Committee and get Cauvery water for Tamil Nadu.
In the wake of the Karnataka Chief Minister Siddharamaiah’s refusal to release Cauvery waters to Tamil Nadu, Kalaignar, in a statement said that as usual Chief Minister Jayalalitha has written a letter to the Prime Minister asking him to advise Karnataka government to release the balance of 27.557 tmc ft water as per the final award of the Cauvery Tribunal.
As Karnataka water was not available vide the Tribunal award and the State government failing to demand and obtain it, water was not released from the Mettur reservoir for Kuruvai cultivation on the due date of June 12 this year also and released only on Aug 8.
Even now as rains slowed in Cauvery catchment area water flow to Mettur reservoir continues to come down. The water level at 90.05 ft on Sept 3 came down to 87.15 ft i.e., lowered by 2.90 ft in three days.
According to the president of the coordination committee of all Farmers Association P.R. Pandian, Samba paddy crops directly planted were drying as Cauvery water has not reached Vedaranyam tail end irrigation area and farmers were distressed over inability even to cultivate one season Samba crop.
It is an indescribable sadness that farmers have reached the periphery of dejection with the failure of Kuruvai cultivation in delta districts during the last three years after the ADMK came to power.
In the meanwhile, Karnataka Irrigation Minister M.P. Patil has said that water to be released to Tamil Nadu as per Tribunal award was released without deficit till Wednesday last, TN government has not asked for release this year, but still respecting the award of the Tribunal Karnataka released water. This makes it clear that TN government did not at all demand release of water.
It is sad for the people of TN that the State government did not even place demand to Karnataka for water, the essential need of farmers. Will the problem of farmers get solved by just writing letter to the PM and getting it publicized without demanding it from Karnataka?  
All party leaders of Karnataka have raised voice against releasing water to TN and In Karnataka, the State government assumes responsibility by leading an all-party delegation consisting of leaders, Ministers and MPs to meet the PM and raise unanimous voice the needs of the State but in Tamil Nadu, it is a shame and painful that the ADMK government fails to even convene a meeting of all parties.
In particular, former Karnataka Chief Minister, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly and one of the senior leaders of the BJP Jagadish Shettar has said, ‘as there was no sufficient rain in Cauvery catchment area the four dams have not been filled and hence there is scarcity of water. In view of the condition of farmers of both States Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and TN Chief Minister should consult and solve the issue and the TN Chief Minister writing directly to the PM thereby harming friendly relations between the two States has caused dissatisfaction’.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddharamaiah has told reporters that Karnataka was undergoing severe drought in forty years and the Tribunal award states that the two riparian States should cordially hold talks and resolve in such drought conditions.
Stating that four major reservoirs in Karnataka had storage of 74.23 tmcft on Sept 5, Kalaignar  said the State should depute PWD Minister O Panneerselvam to meet Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and appraise him of the pro-rata distress sharing formula laid out by the tribunal and seriously try to obtain water so as to secure at least the standing samba crop in the delta region of Tamil Nadu.
Kalaignar urged Chief Minister Jayalalitha to urgently lead an all-party delegation, including MPs, and Union Ministers from Tamil Nadu, to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and exert pressure on the Centre to release Cauvery water and set up the Cauvery Management Board, and Cauvery Water Regulation Committee without further delay and apprise the severity of Mekadattu dam issue and not be complacent with just writing letters to the PM.

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