The Hindu : `Amend CRA rules to implement court order'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Sep 22, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Tamil Nadu

`Amend CRA rules to implement court order'

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI SEPT. 21. An all-party meeting convened by the Government here yesterday adopted a resolution urging the Centre to amend rules of the Cauvery River Authority so that it could take over reservoirs in Karnataka and release water to Tamil nadu as per the September 3 Supreme Court order and the CRA's own decision on September 8 pending further orders of the apex court on an interlocutory application filed by the State.

Such an amendment, the resolution said, was necessary as the mechanism for implementing the orders of the highest judicial body could not be left to the mercy of a rival government.

The meeting decided to draw the attention of the Prime Minister to the grave situation prevailing in Cauvery delta areas, where lakhs of farmers had lost their kuruvai crop and were in fear of not being able to start samba operations on nearly 12 lakh acres, leading to a calamity-like situation. The Prime Minister would be urged to direct Karnataka to release water immediately.

The meeting decided that a delegation, led by the Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, and consisting of leaders of political parties, MPs and representatives of farmers' associations, meet the Prime Minister and present a memorandum on Saturday evening. Leaders of various political parties, who participated, thanked the Chief Minister for having convened the meeting to enable Tamil Nadu to take a united stand.

`A flagrant violation'

Earlier, in her long introductory address, the Chief Minister said Karnataka had released only 4.822 tmcft of water in the last 16 days, whereas as per the Supreme Court order it should have released 6.250 tmcft from September 4 to 8 and 8.8 tmcft from September 9 to 19 going by the CRA order.

Leaving a deficit of 10.228 tmcft in flagrant violation of the court order, the Karnataka Government also decided to stop water release to Tamil Nadu, she said.

Detailing the efforts taken by the AIADMK Government in the past one and a half years to ensure justice to Tamil Nadu in the Cauvery dispute, Ms. Jayalalithaa said the State could not remain silent to the ``unilateral action'' of Karnataka.

`Boycott childish'

Condemning the DMK decision, the PWD Minister, O.Panneerselvam, said it was Mr. Karunanidhi who complicated the whole issue. The dispute, he said, would have been resolved long back but for the wrong approach adopted by the DMK leader in 1972 by withdrawing a case filed by the Tamil Nadu Government in the Supreme Court.

While all parties had come forward to support the Government in getting justice for Tamil Nadu, the DMK decision to boycott the meeting was childish.

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