The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Move Centre and help us get Cauvery water, Chief Minister tells CPI

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Feb 04, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Move Centre and help us get Cauvery water, Chief Minister tells CPI

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, FEB. 3 . The Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, today urged the Communist Party of India (CPI) to prevail upon the United Progressive Alliance Government and get the State its share of Cauvery water from Karnataka in the next irrigation year beginning June.

Responding to the observation by V. Sivapunniyam (CPI) in the Assembly that no reference was made in the Governor's address to the State Government's approach to the Cauvery dispute, she said it was making various efforts to secure Tamil Nadu's rights. Now, the dispute was pending before the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal.

"Earlier, the Government in Karnataka was ruled by one party while a different political formation was in power at the Centre. Now, both the Union and Karnakata Governments are ruled by Congress-led coalitions. As your party is supporting the Central Government, you should persuade it to ask Karnataka to give our share of water. If Karnataka still refuses to abide by the Union Government's directives, your party should withdraw its support," she said, intervening in the debate on the motion of thanks to the Governor's address.

G. Palanisamy, CPI floor leader, said his party always supported the State Government in safeguarding Tamil Nadu's right in the Cauvery issue.

Compensation to ryots

Referring to Mr. Sivapunniyam's remark that the compensation of Rs. 1,000 an acre to the flood-hit farmers was inadequate, the Chief Minister clarified that the quantum was based on the Centre's guidelines. "If an enhanced relief amount is to be given, the Centre should revise its norms." She had taken up with the Union Agriculture Minister the issue of providing an incentive to the farmers at the time of paddy procurement.

Tsunami damage

Asserting that her administration would never let down farmers, Ms. Jayalalithaa said the Centre had intimated the State Government that it would issue a separate order on sanctioning compensation for tsunami-affected agricultural land.

The Agriculture Minister, K. Pandurangan, said experts from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University had carried out soil tests in Nagapattinam, Kanyakumari and Cuddalore districts for assessing the damage to farmland.

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