Justice after long wait: Karunanidhi

Chennai, Feb 5 (UNI) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi said this evening that the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal's final award had given relief to the state and justice had been rendered after a long wait.

Speaking to media at DMK headquarters Anna Arivalayam here after his return from New Delhi, he said he would get full satisfaction when the people of both states came together and accepted the verdict.

Recalling the long struggle for water, he said during late Annadurai's chief ministership in 1968, he, as PWD Minister, had been deputed to hold talks in Delhi with the then Karnataka Chief Minister Veerendra Patil. Since then talks had been held with 11 Chief Minister of that state. He had also held talks with Union Water Resources Ministers from K L Rao to Saifuddin Soz.

While the Tribunal's interim award had given 205 tmc ft of water to Tamil Nadu, of which six tmc ft was meant for Pondicherry, the final award had increased this to a total of 217 ft, which included seven tmc ft to Puducherry.

On the Karnataka Government's decision to file a review petition with the Tribunal, he said he had consulted lawyers in Delhi.

Referring to PMK leader S Ramadoss' demand for immediate gazette notification, he said it could not be done immediately.

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