'Cauvery Family' talks in Mysore on June 12

Mysore, June 10 (UNI) The seventh round of discussions between the Cauvery delta farmers of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, generally known as 'Cauvery Family', will be held here on June 12.

Informing this to newspersons here today, Federation of Karnataka State Farmers Associations President Shanthakumar said that after six rounds of discussions, there had been increased understanding of each other's problems, a sign of improvement in the relationship.

The Cauvery family had now started evolving a distress formula that would be acceptable to both sides. While three meetings were held in Chennai, Thanjavur and Tiruchirapalli in Tamil Nadu, two meetings were held in Mysore and one in Bangalore.

The Cauvery Family would make headway in evolving a distress formula during its meeting in Mysore, which would be attended by its Convener Janakarajan of the Madras Institute of Development Studies.

Farmer leaders of Kabini Farmers Welfare Association and Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha leader K S Puttanaiah from the Karnataka side, and Mr Raghunathan, farmer leader in Cauvery delta in Tamil Nadu, were expected to take part. The meeting would also discuss the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal's Experts Committee report, he said.

Mr Shanthakumar warned the State Government that if it did not solve the problems of the Karnataka State Sugarcane Growers within the next ten days, the farmers would launch a Statewide agitation to press for their demands.

He urged the State Government to make arrangments to provide loans at four per cent interest to farmers through primary land development banks.

UNI BSP GD TS1645