Jayalalithaa should lead delegation to set up Cauvery Management Board, says PMK

Coimbatore: PMK on Sunday, said Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa should lead an all party delegation to Delhi to exert pressure on the Centre to constitute the long pending Cauvery Management Board (CMB).

"Since the Cauvery water sharing issue still continues between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka despite the Tribunal verdict and considering the delay in setting up of the Board, the Chief Minister should take an all party delegation to Delhi and pressurise the Centre to constitute the Board," PMK president G K Mani told reporters here.

Setting up of the Board would ensure proper release of water from Cauvery to the Mettur dam, which had not been opened this year on the normal date of June 12 for irrigation.

Mani was here to select the venue for party's Kongu Region conference, scheduled for July 12 Referring to the June 27 bypoll to R K Nagar constituency in North Chennai, from where Chief Minister Jayalalithaa is

contesting, he said PMK had not fielded any candidate as the party's declared policy was not to contest it. They would also not support any candidate there, he said.

About 10 lakh people from Coimbatore, Tirupur, Namakkal, Erode, Karur and Nilgiris districts are expected to attend the conference, which would discuss problems being faced by the region, particularly textile industries, power and also the long pending Avanashi-Athikadavu water scheme, he said.

PMK's poll plank in the run up to the 2016 assembly polls would be the need for a corruption free administration, free and fair elections, setting up of Lok Ayukta, besides bringing in total prohibition in the state, Mani added.