A delegation of all-party MPs from Tamil Nadu, led by Minister for Water Resources Duraimurugan, will meet Minister for Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and urge him to prevail upon the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) to order the release of 12,500 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin said on Saturday.
In a statement here, he said the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had predicted normal rain in the Cauvery catchments in Karnataka between September 13 and 15. “The delegation would submit a memorandum to the Minister urging him to direct Karnataka to release water based on the orders of the CWMA/Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC),” he said.
Mr. Stalin said a long legal battle resulted in the Supreme Court fixing the quantum to be realised at Biligundlu on February 2, 2018. Moreover, as per the final direction of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) and a Supreme Court order, water should be shared on a pro rata basis during distress period. “As per the orders, Tamil Nadu should have received 103.5 tmc till September 14. But it has received just 38.4 tmc,” he said.
Mr. Stalin said the storage at the Mettur dam was 69.25 tmc and water was released on June 12 for Kuruvai and Samba cultivation on the basis of normal monsoon predicted by the IMD. “Since Karnataka has not released Tamil Nadu’s share and the CWMA and the CWRC could not find a solution, Tamil Nadu filed a petition in the Supreme Court,” he said.
Recalling the Karnataka government’s statement that Tamil Nadu’s demand was unjustifiable since the State had increased its ayacut area and the State’s letter to the Union Jal Sakthi Minister stating Tamil Nadu would get adequate water during the northeast monsoon, Mr. Stalin said, “Karnataka’s claims are not true.”
Meeting of MPs
Earlier in the day, Mr. Stalin chaired a meeting of DMK MPs, at which it was decided that the parties, which are part of INDIA, would highlight in Parliament the failure of the BJP government.
The resolution decided to fight against the Centre’s Vishwakarama Yojana, stating that it would encourage traditional family avocation and prevent youths from attending colleges. Making a strong case for increasing the slab for creamy layer among the Backward Classes to ₹25 lakh per annum, the resolution demanded implementation of the Mandal Commission recommendations in the Central government employment.
