The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Tiruchi News : Pressure Karnataka Govt., say farmers

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jul 24, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Tiruchi

Pressure Karnataka Govt., say farmers

By Our Staff Reporter

TIRUCHI, JULY 23. Farmers have urged the Central government to pressurise the Karnataka Government to release water in the Cauvery immediately to enable them to take up samba cultivation this year.

The State Government should explore the feasibility of opening the Mettur reservoir for irrigation at the earliest, they demanded speaking at the farmers' grievances day meeting chaired by the Collector, V.Pandian, here today.

The Centre should convene the Cauvery River Authority immediately and ensure the release of Tamil Nadu's quota of water for the months of June and July.

Though the storage position at the reservoirs in Karnataka was comfortable, only surplus flow into the Kabini reservoir was released, they said.

The Tiruchi District Cauvery Delta Farmers' Welfare Association, G. Kangasabai, accused Karnataka of using the Cauvery as a drainage and pointed out that no water was released from the Krishnaraja Sagar reservoir so far.

Referring to the Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa's statement that the storage level at the Mettur reservoir was not enough to release water for irrigation now, Mr. Kanagasabai said the Government could consider opening the reservoir as the storage level had almost touched 75 ft and it would take about 15 days for the water to reach the tail end areas of the delta.

At least 5,000 cusecs of water should be released to save the standing crops and enable farmers take up cultivation in Tiruchi district. He regretted that the officials took into account the requirements of the core delta districts only much to the neglect of the Tiruchi district farmers. The former MLA, Y.Venkatesa Diskshithar, and other farmers' representatives supported the demand.

Mr. Kangasabai demanded a hike in the paddy procurement price at Rs.850 per quintal with Rs.50 as incidental charges. The quantum of paddy crop loans advanced through cooperative societies should be increased to Rs.8000 per hectare.

The Centre's announcement on extending credit to farmers with nine per cent interest should be implemented immediately.

He urged the district authorities to take steps to clear the weed from the irrigation channels in time before water was released for irrigation.

The joint secretary of the association, R.Subramanian, urged the Centre to convene the Cauvery Monitoring Committee to assess the situation in the two States and order the release of water to Tamil Nadu.

The State secretary of Tamizhaga Vivasayigal Sangam, Raja Chidambaram, called upon the Government to sanction immediate relief to the drought-hit farmers. He urged the authorities to provide adequate information to farmers on raising alternative crops such as jatropha.

The district secretary of the Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam, Siva Suriyan, demanded immediate grant of compensation to the drought-hit farmers and monthly dole for agricultural labourers.

He urged the Collector to take steps to implement the Rs.50-crore proposal on diverting the flood flows in the Uyyakondan and Kudamuritti rivers during the monsoon to the irrigation tanks in the upper reaches of Koraiyar and Ariyar.

G. Rajendran and K. Murthy of the association demanded steps to prevent the pollution caused to agricultural fields due to the flow of tannery effluents into the Uyyakondan river near Nathamadipatti.

A. Nagarajan of Puliyur demanded the desilting of Kattalai High Level Channel and fixing of sluice shutters on the channel to ensure that water reached the tail-end areas.

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