Farmers stage black flag protest against proposal to build dam at Mekedatu

Farmers’ leaders urge CWMA to declare the proposal as illegal at today’s meeting

June 22, 2021 12:05 am | Updated 12:05 am IST - TIRUVARUR

The Tamizhaga Anaithu Vivasayigal Sangangalin Orunginaippu Kuzhu and Tamizhaga Cauvery Vivasayigal Sangam staged black flag demonstrations across the State on Monday condemning the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) for not preventing Karnataka’s attempts to build a dam across the Cauvery at Mekedatu.

Holding black flags, the demonstrators raised slogans against the project and urged the CWMA to halt the project.

Coordination committee president P.R. Pandian told presspersons at Mannargudi that Karnataka was attempting to build the dam illegally and alleged that it had the clandestine support of the Centre.

Urging the CWMA chairman not to bow to the Centre’s pressure, Mr. Pandian alleged that the Centre and Karnataka government had come together to usurp the powers of the Authority, “which had remained inactive for the past 12 months.”

Exhorting that the Authority should be allowed to act independently, he called upon the CWMA Chairman to ensure that Tamil Nadu’s due share of water in the Cauvery for June was released to save the standing crops.

Demanding that the CWMA should declare the attempts to construct a dam at Mekedatu by Karnataka as illegal at the meeting on June 22, Mr. Pandian wanted the Authority to take up the issue with the Supreme Court if the upper riparian State refused to budge. If the Authority failed, then the Tamizhaga Cauvery Vivasayigal Sangam would take the matter to the Supreme Court, he said.

Mr. Pandian called upon the State government not to allow the Prime Minister or the Central Water Resources Ministry to intervene in the functioning of the CWMA and ensure that it remained an independent Constitutional authority.

Meanwhile, at Kumbakonam, members of Thanjavur District Cauvery Farmers Protection Association, led by the general secretary, Sundara Vimalanathan immersed an effigy of Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa in the Cauvery as a mark of protest against the proposal to build a dam at Mekedatu.

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