Thanjavur: Expressing concern over time being given to the Central Government in the Cauvery issue by the Supreme court, farmers of delta districts said that further adjournment will raise serious doubts in the minds of people and adversely affect Tamil Nadu’s interests in the issue.
Reacting to the posting of next hearing in Cauvery to May 14 by the Apex court on Tuesday after Karnataka elections are over, S. Ranganathan, secretary, ‘Cauvery Delta Farmers Welfare Association’, said that if further time is given, Karnataka may meddle with availability of water and try to deny water to Tamil Nadu. This will adversely affect Tamil Nadu. “Union water resource secretary should be made the de facto chairman of any scheme, be it Cauvery
Management Board (CMB) or any other appropriate scheme and he should take the control of reservoirs in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka till such time a scheme or CMB is formed. He should decide on the release of water,” Ranganathan said.
Sami Nadarajan, district secretary of the ‘Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam’ affiliated to CPI(M) said that the Central government has achieved to get the duration of time it wanted to delay the formation of CMB. “First the apex court said that CMB should be formed in six weeks time. Central government did not do it and asked for three months time. Then it asked for ten days time. Now it got time till May 14.
Karnataka has not given the four tmcft of water ordered by the court to be released to Tamil Nadu in the previous hearing. Now Tamil Nadu government has said in the court on Tuesday that it can’t believe the Central government. We, farmers have been telling that centre cannot be trusted. Now Tamil Nadu government itself is saying in its affidavit in the court. If there is no faith, why support the Central government? They can withdraw the MPs,” Nadarajan said. The Cauvery issue should be referred to a Constitution bench, he added.
P.R. Pandian, coordinator of ‘Thamizhaga Anaithu Vivasaya Sanganglin Orunginaippu Kuzhu’ welcomed the Apex court order that Union water resource secretary U.P.Singh should attend the hearing on May 14. “We have been demanding that the union secretary should be brought into court enquiry. Though belated, this is welcome,” Pandian said. He expressed the hope that something fruitful will emerge in the May 14 hearing.
Lest, we farmers will be left with no option than to continue our agitations, he added.
