Cauvery row: Ryots seek all-party meet

TIRUCHY: In order to ensure water for saving the standing kuruvai crops and preparing for the samba cultivation, the farmers from Tiruchy appealed the district collector on Friday to ensure adequate water for irrigation to the tail end region. The farmers also appealed Chief Minister MK Stalin to convene an all-party meeting to discuss about the Cauvery issue and initiate steps to get the due water from Karnataka.

The farmers’ grievances redressal meet was chaired by the district collector M Pradeep Kumar. During the meeting, farmers demanded the state government to pressurise Karnataka to release the monthly rightful water.

Addressing the meeting, P Viswanathan, State president of Tank and River Ayacutdars Welfare Association, said the farmers, who are depended on as many as 15 irrigation canals including Kattalaimettu canal and Uyyankondan river under Tiruchy River Conservation (RC) division, are preparing for the samba cultivation. “Only when all the 15 irrigation canals get full flow of water, it would be possible to commence the samba cultivation as it would flow till the tail-end region for which there should be adequate water flow in the Cauvery especially in the right banks of the river,” Viswanathan said.

He said the farmers, dependent on these canals, are currently left with no option but to wait till the canals to flow full. While the farmers are waiting for adequate water to sow samba seeds, the farmers who had completed kuruvai cultivation are waiting for water to save their standing kuruvai crops. “The state government should initiate steps to get due water from Karnataka,” Viswanathan said.

While MP Chinnadurai, district president of Tamilaga Vivasayigal sangam (Non Political) said the Chief Minister should permit the farmers to organise indefinite protests from Kanyakumari to Chennai to pressurise Karnataka to release the monthly due of water to Tamil Nadu and ensure the livelihood of the farmers. The district collector Pradeep Kumar, who heard the farmers’ grievances, assured to forward the demands to the state government.

Meanwhile, a section of farmers led by P Ayyakannu, State president, Desiya Thennindiya Nadhigal Inaippu farmers association, staged a protest in the neck deep Kollidam river demanding water for cultivation. The members initially, commenced their protest in the banks of Kollidam near Mukkombu (Upper Anicut) and slowly moved into the middle of the river and threatened to die by suicide. On information, Jeeyapuram police rushed to the river with three coracles and rescued them. The police later warned the farmers for protesting without permission and left them.