The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Farmers want a solution to the Cauvery issue soon

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Sep 07, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Farmers want a solution to the Cauvery issue soon

Special Correspondent

They plan to meet the Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka

Thanjavur: Farmers of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have decided to meet the Chief Ministers of both the States within two months and apprise them of the discussions they had so far on the Cauvery issue and put forth their views for finding a lasting solution.

This decision was taken at the eighth meeting of the `Committee of the Cauvery Family' held here on Tuesday under the auspices of Madras Institute of Development Studies (MIDS), in which the farmers of both the States participated.

Briefing presspersons at the end of the meeting, Professor of MIDS and convenor and facilitator of the `Cauvery Family,' S. Janakarajan, and S. Ranganathan, Secretary, Cauvery Delta Farmers Welfare Association, said that the farmers of both the States have arrived at a good understanding in the eight exchanges of visits they had for the past three years.

Farmers, agriculture experts, lecturers and people from all walks of life appreciated the efforts taken by the farmers of both the States. But, so far, there was no recognition of the efforts taken by the farmers from both the governments.

Concern over extension

Speakers at the meeting expressed their concern over extension given to the Cauvery River Water Disputes Tribunal and condemned the delay in announcing the final award.

The farmers felt that the final award should be given soon. They also condemned the differences of opinion among Tribunal members and the move to form assessor-committees when already volumes of data had been collected and lot of hearings conducted in the past 14 years.

Software

The farmers also agreed to use a software, `Water Evaluation and Planning Programme-WEAP,' prepared by the Stockholm Environment Institute, Boston Centre, for solving the Cauvery issue.

Mr. Janakarajan said that the software was being used worldwide to solve water problems.

"It is stakeholder-driven and user-friendly. It provides for a system to maintain demand and supply of water with a holistic approach. It promotes equity, efficiency, environmental sustainability," he said.

The next meeting of the `Cauvery family' will be held either at Madikere or Mandya in Karnataka in December, Mr. Janakarajan said.

A 15-member team of farmers headed by K.C. Basavaraj, Vice-President, Karnataka Rajya Rythu Sangha and Shanthakumar, Kabini Basin Farmers' Association, attended the meeting. From the Tamil Nadu side, S. Ranganathan, Secretary, Cauvery Delta Farmers Welfare Association, Arupathi Kalyanam, Secretary, Federation of Farmers Associations of Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam districts, among others, participated.

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