Delta farmers welcome SC verdict

TIRUCHY: Welcoming the Supreme Court order on the Cauvery issue, Delta farmers on Thursday demanded the state to initiate steps to implement it immediately.

The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to interfere with the order of the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) that had earlier directed Karnataka to release 5,000 cusecs to Tamil Nadu for 15 days and ordered to monitor the discharge by a competent body.

This was received with joy by Delta farmers, who opined that it was little late as kuruvai crop in substantial acreage have already failed.

“Already around two lakh acres of kuruvai crops had withered away and state government should appeal for the compensation through the apex court as the failure of kuruvai was caused by mainly due to the adamancy of Karnataka, which refused to follow the previous direction of the Supreme Court,” said Swamimalai Sundara Vimalnathan, Secretary, Tamil Nadu Cauvery Farmers Protection Association. Vimalnathan further appealed to the Centre and state to declare Cauvery Delta as drought-hit region and disburse relief from the disaster management fund. Similarly, 13 lakh acre samba cultivation is still doubtful in the Delta region. So, “we appeal to the Chief Minister to give more attention to the issue and get us the due water,” he said.

Meanwhile, PR Pandian, general secretary of Tamil Nadu Cauvery Farmers Association said, had the emergency meeting of the Cauvery Water Management Authority convened in July itself, the kuruvai crops could have been saved and begin samba season.

“But still, the Supreme Court had expressed that the Cauvery Water Management Authority is the only competent body to resolve the issue and the Tamil Nadu farmers welcomed it. The verdict had given hope to the farmers in the Delta region,” Pandian said.