EPS urges DMK govt to secure immediate release of Cauvery water
"At present Karnataka has 80% water in the reservoir and therefore, the Chief Minister M K Stalin should rush to Bengaluru to meet his counterpart and secure the release of water," the AIADMK leader said in a statement here.
AIADMK General Secretary and former Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami (File)
CHENNAI: AIADMK General Secretary and former Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Saturday urged the DMK government to prevail upon neighbouring Karnataka to immediately release required water from the Cauvery River to benefit delta farmers in the State.
"At present Karnataka has 80% water in the reservoir and therefore, the Chief Minister M K Stalin should rush to Bengaluru to meet his counterpart and secure the release of water," the AIADMK leader said in a statement here.
Pointing out that Karnataka has not released the water in June (9.19 TMC), July 31.24 TMC), and August 45.9 TMC) totaling 86.3 TMC water, Palaniswami said the release of water would save the delta crops in 3.5 lakh acre.
Claiming that when AIADMK was in power, it ensured the release of Cauvery water from Karnataka every year, the opposition leader of the house said when the DMK's ally Congress came to power in Karnataka, it was creating several issues in releasing the Cauvery water.
Palaniswami said that Tamil Nadu Water Resources Minister Duraimurugan, who met Union Water Resources Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in Delhi, said that Cauvery Management Board would instruct Karnataka to release water immediately. "At this juncture, the chief minister also wrote a letter to the Prime Minister in this regard," he said.
Stating that it was Karnataka's duty to obey the Cauvery Management Board's instructions and the Supreme Court's order with regard to the release of water, Palaniswami said it is also the duty of Stalin to secure the rights of the state with regard to getting the water share from the neighbouring state.
Palaniswami said though the chief minister announced the release of water from the Mettur dam from June 12, it was not enough for Kuruvai cultivation in the Delta region.
"Therefore, the Chief Minister should immediately meet his counterpart and deputy chief minister in Karnataka to secure the release of Cauvery water", he said and warned that if the DMK government did not take steps for the release of Cauvery water, the AIADMK would stage intense protests in the State.
