Will take legal steps if Centre doesn't constitute CMB: Jaya

Thanjavur (TN), Mar 9: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has made it clear that if the Centre does not set up the

Management Board (CMB), she will approach the courts.

Citing her letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in this regard, Jayalalithaa said that she had urged him to constitute both the CMB and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee without delay.

"The Supreme Court has said it is the Centre's duty to constitute CMB. Therefore, I believe the Centre will do it. Else, I will take legal steps for the constitution of these with your help," she told the farmers of the Cauvery delta districts of Tamil Nadu who organised a function here on Saturday to felicitate the chief minister for ensuring that the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal was notified.

The farmers believe that Jayalalithaa's insistance on notification of the final award forced the Centre to ignore Karnataka's strong objection to the same. Six years ago, the tribunal awarded 419 thousand million cubic feet (tmc ft) of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu and 270 tmc ft to Karnataka but the latter was not satisfied as it had demanded 465 tmc ft.

Tamil Nadu too had sought as much as 562 tmc ft. Incidentally, Kerala and Puducherry did not complain despite receiving just 30 tmc ft and 7 tmc ft respectively.

Jayalalithaa assured the famers of the delta districts that she will ensure the state's rights on Cauvery water. She pointed out that DMK was in power when the tribunal gave its final award in Feb 2007 but the then chief minister M Karunanidhi failed to get the award notified.

The DMK patriarch instead took some steps which benefited Karnataka, Jayalalithaa noted. She recounted how the AIADMK government led by her had repeatedly asked the court to direct the Centre to notify the tribunal's final award.

The chief minister said that at last the Supreme Court set a deadline of Feb 20 and after this the Centre was left with no option but to comply with the apex court's order.

OneIndia News (with PTI inputs)