The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Farmers, political parties welcome Tribunal award

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Feb 06, 2007
ePaper


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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Farmers, political parties welcome Tribunal award

Special Correspondent

Demand independent monitoring mechanism to implement it It is a welcome relief to the delta farmers: M. Krishnasswamy

CHENNAI: Cauvery delta farmers and political parties by and large have welcomed the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal and demanded an independent monitoring mechanism to implement it.

S. Renganathan, general secretary of the Cauvery Delta Farmers Association, said he was satisfied as it was an improvement over the interim award.

The tribunal had given a lion's share of 419 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft) of the 740 tmcft of utilisable flows in the Cauvery basin to Tamil Nadu with 50 per cent dependability.

Welcoming the tribunal's order that the same proportion would be worked out during the distress period, he said an independent authority should monitor the flow of water.

If there was any bickering over the final award, it could be sorted out.

Karaikal's share hailed

Karaikal Struggle Group leader S.P. Selvashanmugham, who is also the president of the Puducherry Cauvery Delta Farmers Legal Action Committee, welcomed the award, which has earmarked 7 tmcft water to the Karaikal region.

He wanted the Puducherry Government to work out a separate agreement with the Tamil Nadu Government to fix the time of release of water for the Union Territory.

Expressing happiness over the award, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president M. Krishnasswamy said it was a welcome relief to the delta farmers.

They had undergone untold sufferings in the last 16 years as Karnataka had failed to implement the interim award.

He hoped that Karnataka would accept the award.

"Disappointing"

Pattali Makkal Katchi leader S. Ramadoss said the final award was disappointing, as the tribunal had prescribed only 192 tmcft water as against 205 tmcft in the interim order.

The Chief Minister should call for an all-party meeting immediately to finalise the next course of action.

State secretary of the Communist Party of India D. Pandian wanted the Centre to appoint an independent authority for implementing the award. Farmers in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu should be happy as the dispute had been brought to an end.

Bharatiya Janata Party All-India Secretary Su.Thirunnavukkarasar, welcoming the award, wanted the Centre to take necessary steps for implementing it at the earliest.

Viduthalai Chiruthaigal general secretary Thol Tirumavalavan and Dravidar Kazhagam president K. Veeramani said the award had not fulfilled the demands of the delta farmers, but welcomed it as it brought to an end a long legal battle between the States.

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