The Hindu : Convene Cauvery panel meet: AIADMK

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Friday, May 09, 2003

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Convene Cauvery panel meet: AIADMK

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI MAY 8. The AIADMK today raised the issue of non-release of Cauvery water by Karnataka in Parliament and demanded that the Centre convene a meeting of the monitoring committee to discuss it.

In the Rajya Sabha, the AIADMK Parliamentary Party leader, P.G. Narayanan, said that in spite of repeated requests by the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, the committee had not been convened.

Tamil Nadu was facing a severe drought and due to the non-release of Cauvery water by Karnataka, the State had lost three crops last year. The irrigation season commenced next month and with less than 20 days left, the distress-sharing formula was yet to be discussed by the committee, he said.

The Lok Sabha, too, witnessed similar efforts where MPs from the State demanded immediate implementation of the interim award of the Cauvery River Water Tribunal.

The matter was raised during zero hour by Mani Shankar Aiyar of the Congress who said it was the duty of the Prime Minister as Chairman of the Cauvery River Water Authority to "rise to his responsibility" before the water crisis hit the State.

The AIADMK Lok Sabha leader, V. Saroja, demanded a meeting of the monitoring committee and said the Mettur Dam with a capacity of 92 tmc feet now had just four tmc feet of water.

She said if the Government wanted the situation to continue, Tamil Nadu would have withered paddy, blighted sugarcane, shrivelled palmyra trees, distraught women holding pots demanding drinking water and desperate men reduced to tears by the dry expanse.

S.S. Palanimanickam (DMK) supported her and demanded an urgent meeting.

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