The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Karnataka should not take political decision: delta ryots

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jun 16, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Karnataka should not take political decision: delta ryots

By Our Staff Reporter

THANJAVUR, JUNE 15. Thanjavur and Tiruvarur farmers have expressed disappointment at the Karnataka Chief Minister, Dharam Singh, ruling out Cauvery water supply to Tamil Nadu.

This was not expected of him at this juncture when relations between farmers of the two States were improving and when reservoirs were full in Karnataka, said S. Ranganathan, secretary, Cauvery Delta Farmers Welfare Association.

A rigid attitude should not be adopted when there was enough water to release, he said. "Karnataka should take an analytical decision and not a political decision".

Arupathy S. Kalyanam, general secretary, Federation of Farmers Associations of Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam districts, said there was adequate storage in all reservoirs in Karnataka and a good monsoon was predicted.

Its Chief Minister should have at least said supply would be made to Tamil Nadu after storing water for Karnataka's use.

If politicisation of the Cauvery issue continued, it would lead to extremist tendencies in Tamil Nadu Mr. Kalyanam warned.

Durai Manickam, general secretary, Tamil Nadu Farmers Association affiliated to the Communist Party of India, said Mr. Dharam Singh's statement would harm the interests of the two States.

"He should have come forward to release water at least on humanitarian grounds".

Pon. Kaliyamurthy, a farmer of Budalur, said that in implementation of the interim award of the Cauvery River Water Disputes Tribunal, the rule of law should prevail and the Government of India should ensure that. The Cauvery Monitoring Committee and the Cauvery River Authority (CRA) should exercise their powers and release water. Negotiations will not help "starving farmers in Tamil Nadu" he said.

The farmers are quietly watching the "political drama" unfolding before them as this is not a new scenario. They are not in a hurry to take up kuruvai cultivation.

Unless they are assured adequate water supply for kuruvai cultivation, they may even forgo the short-term crop this year also.

As in last year, kuruvai transplantation is going on only in pumpset-irrigated areas in the two districts, while farmers who depend on canal irrigation are keeping their fingers crossed.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu