TN will take all steps to protect state's interests

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

Chennai, Apr 4: Tamil Nadu Government will take all necessary steps to ensure its rights on the Cauvery and Mullaperiyar issues, State Public Works Minister Duraimurugan told the Assembly today.

Replying to the debate on the demand for grants for his department, he said the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal was neither favourable nor against the state's interests.

Referring to demands that the Government should prefer an appeal before the Tribunal and take steps for simultaneous notification of the final award in the gazette, he said it would lead to complications as the final award would be equivalent to a Supreme Court verdict once it was gazetted.

He said the Government was now carefully studying various aspects to file a review petition and asserted that the state's rights would be ensured on the issue.

The Minister also clarified that until the final award was fully implemented, the interim award would be in force and the state would get its due share of water for kuruvai cultivation.

On the Mullaperiyar issue, Mr Duraimurugan said the Kerala Government had refused to obey the Supreme Court order and had even brought in legislation to circumvent it.

But, the Tamil Nadu Government had been taking steps to protect the state's interests, he said.

Earlier, participating in the debate, Deputy Leader of the Opposition O Panneerselvam stressed that the Government should take steps for gazette notification of the final award to ensure that Tamil Nadu got its allocated share of water. As the ruling DMK was also part of the Union Government, it was the right time to exercise its clout over the Centre, he said.

He said the Government should also approach the Tribunal against its direction that three tmc ft water should be released to Kerala from the Amaravathi dam.

The storage capacity of the dam was only four tmc ft and water was not adequate for irrigating surrounding areas, he added.

Mr Panneerselvam also appealed to members of the Left Parties to pay a visit to Kerala as goodwill ambassadors and impress upon the V S Achuthanandan Government to implement the SC verdict on Mullaperiyar.

CPI-M floor leader C Govindasamy said the issue could not be resolved through talks between two political parties. It was a policy decision taken by a Government in the interest of its people, he said and added that his party here had pledged full support to Tamil Nadu on the matter.

He clarified that the Kerala Government's position on Mullaperiyar did not reflect the views of CPI(M) alone but also other parties like the Congress and BJP.

CPI floor leader V Sivapunniyam pointed out that the Karnataka unit of the AIADMK had expressed solidarity with the Kumarasamy Government on the Cauvery issue.

He expressed concern over the report that the Tribunal had ordered a reduction in Kuruvai cultivation in the state.

Mr Duraimurugan said the Tribunal had allowed continuation of kuruvai cultivation in 1.86 lakh acre in Cauvery delta districts as existed before the 1924 agreement.

In other places, the Tribunal had suggested raising single crop instead of two crops, he explained.

UNI

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