1 week ago
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Members of various farmers’ organisation have decided to stage a protest in Thanjavur on May 2 urging the State government to take steps to prevent Karnataka from going ahead with its proposal to build a balancing reservoir across the Cauvery at Mekedatu.
Farmers will lay siege to the office of the Superintending Engineer of Water Resources Department, Lower Cauvery Basin Circle in Thanjavur on that day, as per a decision taken at a consultative meeting of various farmers’ associations in Tiruchi on Thursday, said P.R. Pandian, president, Coordination Committee of All Farmers Association of Tamil Nadu. The meeting was chaired by Mahadhanapuram V. Rajaram, president, Cauvery Irrigation Farmers’ Welfare Association.
A resolution adopted at the meeting criticised Chief Minister M.K. Stalin for “remaining silent” on the issue, especially Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) chairman S.K. Haldar’s decision to refer back the Karnataka proposal to build the reservoir at Mekedatu to the Central Water Commission (CWC) for further action.
The Chief Minister had failed to move a resolution in the State Assembly or the Cabinet condemning the decision despite repeated demands from farmers’ organisations. The State government had failed to take up the matter with the Supreme Court, the resolution alleged.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar had been openly asserting that the dam would be built once the INDIA bloc comes to power, the resolution said.
Under the circumstances, farmers in Tamil Nadu were losing faith in the DMK government, it said and called upon all farmers’ organisations and political parties to launch an intensive struggle against the move to construct the dam by Karnataka.
Through another resolution, the meeting demanded that the CWMA should take the responsibility to ensure that Karnataka released Tamil Nadu’s share of Cauvery water every month and not confine itself to just issuing directions.
Through other resolutions, the meeting urged the State government to appoint only persons with experience in delta as Executive Engineers and Superintending Engineers in the region to ensure effective irrigation management; restrict mining and sale of river sand; reintroduce the kudimaramathu system of maintaining irrigation canals; execute desilting work in consultation with farmers; and shelve the Sarabanga Canal project.
