Constitute Cauvery Management Board - Tamilnadu formers urge Indian government!

TRICHY: The long delay in the constitution of the Cauvery Management Board as directed by the Cauvery River Water Disputes Tribunal brought together all farmers associations, political parties and consumer organisations in the delta region to register their protest against the central government for not obeying the tribunal's final verdict. As many as 1,500 protesters were arrested and released in the evening.

Farmers said that it was one of the massive protests by them in the past 10 years seeking to retain the rights of Tamil Nadu in Cauvery water. "As far as I am concerned, today's (Monday) protest was one of the massive protests in recent years. The protest by all kind of people on the Cauvery water issue displayed the unity of our people in the state," said P Maniarasan, president of Tamil Desa Podhuvudamai Katchi (TDPK). He also insisted major political parties like the AIADMK, the DMK and the DMDK to pressurise the central government to decide on the matter.

The farmers questioned why the central government was not interested in constituting the Cauvery management board even though the tribunal ordered to constitute it to share the Cauvery water between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

Normal life was affected as most of the business concerns in and around Thanjavur remained closed today in response to the dawn-to-dusk bandh call given by the Cauveri River Rights Retrieval Committee and other like minded organisations.

The band was to urge the Union Government to establish Cauveri Management Board and Cauveri Monitoring Committee. However, public and private transport system was functioning as usual.

Meanwhile, members of Cauveri River Rights Retrieval Committee (CRRRC) and other like minded organisations led by CRRRC's Coordinator P Maniarasan laid a siege to the office of the Central Excise here.

Mr Maniarasan told newsmen that similar agitations were held at various central government offices across Tiruchirapalli, Thanjavur, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur districts and Chidambaram in Cuddalore district, to draw the Union Government's attention.

He expressed his concern over the non-cooperation among the political parties here as compared to the politicians and others in Karnataka who had been protesting against the releasing of even surplus water to Tamil Nadu from Kabini reservoir in Karnataka

Maniarasan claimed that Karnataka should have released 44 tmc of water for June and July altogether if the board had been constituted. "As the board was not constituted and the water was not released, the Tamil Nadu government should utilize the protests of the people to highlight our stand in the Cauvery water issue and take up the matter with the Prime Minister," said Maniarasan.

The planned protest in front of central government offices including head post offices, central excise offices in Trichy, Thanjavur, Nagapattinam and Thiruvarur districts was carried out by hundreds of protesters led Cauvery Retrieval Group consisting of some parties like TDPK, MDMK, traders organisation and consumer organisations. The protesters attempted to stage a picketing in front of those offices.

However, police were well prepared to stop them from picketing the central government offices. A large posse of police personnel were deployed in front of the central excise office in Trichy and Thanjavur to prevent the protesters. Police had also placed barricades in front of the offices.

(Courtesy: Times of India and UNI)

Cauvery retrieval group to protest against Government of India!

TRICHY: Feeling let down by the newly-elected government on the Cauvery water issue, various farmers associations, consumers and traders organizations under the banner 'Cauvery Rights Retrieval Group' have decided to stage massive protests in delta districts on Monday.

The group accused the Karnataka government for allegedly considering it a 'racial issue' instead of seeing it as a water dispute. The retrieval group have decided to stage picketing in front of central government offices in Trichy, Thanjavur, Nagapattinam and Thiruvarur on July 21 for not constituting Cauvery Water Management Board and Cauvery Water Regulation Committee as directed in the final verdict of the Cauversy River Water Disputes Tribunal.

"We expected that the NDA government would solve the water dispute by constituting a Cauvery management board and regulation committee, but, they failed to do so. Karnataka is seeing it as a racial issue. So, we have decided to stage protests to get back our rights," P Maniarasan, president of Tamil Desiya Podhuvudamai Katchi told reporters in Trichy on Sunday.

He expressed concern over the disunity among politicians here in protesting against the Karnataka government's initiatives taken to prevent the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu. "Politicians, including the elected representatives as well as people in Karnataka vehemently oppose whenever the court rules go in favor of Tamil Nadu. Unfortunately, politicians and people in Tamil Nadu rarely register their protest. First and foremost, there must be unity in this issue even if they are divided in various other issues," Maniarasan said. The Cauvery rights retrieval group in the state demanded the government to call for an all party meeting to pressurise the prime minister Narendra Modi to put an end to the issue. "Like Karnataka, our state government should also discuss the issue with all party leaders in the state. They should meet the PM to mount pressure on him to implement the Cauvery management board," said Maniarasan.

The retrieval group urged the state government to take steps to get 30 tmc of water from Karnataka for Kuruvai cultivation. "As per the final verdict of the tribunal, Karnataka should release 10 tmc of water in June and 34 tmc in July. But, if our government takes steps to get at least 30 tmc, it will help Kuruvai cultivation," he said.

(Courtesy: Times of India)