Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Jayalalithaa's poser on gazetting issue

Special Correspondent

CHENNAI: All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary Jayalalithaa on Thursday challenged Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president M. Krishnasswamy to explain which section or sub-section of the Inter-State Water Disputes Act, 1956 came in the way of filing an appeal before the Supreme Court if the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) was gazetted.

In a statement here, she said none of the amendments, including the five sub-sections incorporated to the Act in 2002, prevented the State Government from moving the Supreme Court if the tribunal award was gazetted by the Centre.

Mr. Karunanidhi and Mr. Krishnasswamy had "added a new twist to the issue," by stating that no appeal could be filed before the apex court if the order was gazetted, she said.

The amendment to section 6(2) of the Inter-State Water Disputes Act had only said that the decision of the tribunal after publication in the gazette should have the same force as an order or decree of the Supreme Court. It had not prevented any appeal against points that were disadvantageous, she pointed out.

It was possible for the Government to go in "appeal for limited purpose."

Support for traders

Expressing concern over multinational corporations entering the retail trade, Ms. Jayalalithaa said in a separate statement that chairman of the AIADMK council of presidium, E. Madhusoodhanan, would take part in a fast to be observed by retail traders on Friday at Koyambedu to highlight their demands.

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