Southern States - Tamil Nadu   

`Karnataka plea for CMC meet a delaying tactic'

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI OCT. 2. The Pattali Makkal Katchi founder, S. Ramadoss, has urged the Union Minister for Water Resources, Arjun Saran Sethi, to take immediate steps to convene a meeting of the Cauvery River Authority for finalising a distress-sharing formula and direct Karnataka to release water due to Tamil Nadu as per the formula.

In a letter to the Minister, the copy of which was released today, he said the majority of States which participated in the September 1 Cauvery Monitoring Committee meeting evolved a comprehensive formula to share water during the distress period and it was to be approved by the CRA.

However, he said, Karnataka was insisting on convening the CMC again rather than the CRA. This demand was nothing but ``a delaying tactic''.

The current storage in the Mettur reservoir was just 30 tmcft and the dam could be opened for irrigation only if the storage was 45 tmcft. According to reliable sources, Dr. Ramadoss said the storage in Karnataka reservoirs was more than 90 tmcft. ``But it was acting as if it was undergoing a severe water shortage''.

As delta farmers had already lost four crops in succession, he wanted the Centre to immediately intervene to help them save at least the samba crop this season with immediate release of water.

Addressing a press conference at his Thailapuram farmhouse, near Tindivanam, today, Dr. Ramadoss said the Prime Minister should convene a CRA meeting before embarking on a foreign trip. He wondered why the Karnataka Government, which was acting as a `stumbling block' to earlier CMC meetings, should now insist on a CMC meet prior to CRA talks.

Dr. Ramadoss said the Union Minister for Irrigation too ``seemed to favour the idea of Karnataka''. But this route would further stall the progress of the talks. A delegation of Tamil Nadu MPs and MLAs would meet the Prime Minister.

`Police arbitrary'

Asked about the arrest of the DMK podium speaker, R.Vetrikondan, (for allegedly delivering objectionable speeches), Dr. Ramadoss said the police were acting ``arbitrarily'' in filing defamation cases against Opposition leaders.

The Ministers, particularly a woman, in the Jayalalithaa Cabinet, was in the ``habit of casting aspersions'' on the Opposition parties, was the police ``looked the other way'' in such cases.

The tone and tenor of the Ministers' speeches was set by the Chief Minister herself, Dr. Ramadoss said.

For, at government functions, Ms. Jayalalithaa made it a point to brand the Opposition leaders ``those persons or fellows,'' and through ``contrived tales'' sought to ``humiliate'' them.

The PMK would extend moral support to the DMK agitation scheduled for December 1.

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