Thousands stage rail, road rokos, seek Cauvery board
Tamil Nadu Vivasayeegal Sangam state general secretary Shanmugam and its Tiruvarur district secretary Masilamani and volunteers of Manitha Neya Makkal Katchi and VCK stage demonstration in front of the Tiruvarur railway station Tuesday. (Photo:
Tiruvarur/Thanjavur: Thousands of farmers representing various farmers’ association were taken into custody when they attempted to resort to a rail and road roko in different places of the Cauvery delta region consisting Tiruvarur, Thanjavur and Nagapattinam districts on Tuesday, demanding immediate establishment of the Cauvery management board and Cauvery regulatory authority as per the final award of the Cauvery river water disputes tribunal.
In Tiruvarur district, farmers held rail rokos at Tiruvarur, Mannargudi, Needamangalam, Koradacherry and Peralam and road rokos in 42 other places.
Police arrested 75 persons including 10 women and TN Vivasayeegal Sangam state general secretary Shanmugam, and its Tiruvarur district secretary Masilamani, former MLA Sivapunniyam, and scores of volunteers of Manitha Neya Makkal Katchi and Vidhuthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi when they resorted to a rail roko at Tiruvarur railway station. At Mannargudi, police arrested 25 persons including Tiruvarur district CPI secretary V Selvaraj on a similar issue as also 18 others including district CITU secretary Palanivel at Peralam. 110 persons including CPI(M) district secretary Nagarajan were taken into custody at Needamangalam and 50 persons were taken into custody at Nagore, police sources told DC.
Police also arrested hundreds of farmers when they attempted to road rokos in 42 different locations across Tiruvarur district. Similarly hundreds of farmers and farm labourers were taken into custody by police when they attempted to rail and road rokos at Sikkal, Keelvelur, Mayiladuthurai, Thirumarugal, Sembanarkovil, Thalaiganayiru, Marudhur, Thanikottagam, Arunthavapulam and other places of Nagapattinam district.
The public transport system was slightly affected in the delta region. Police sources said all of them were released later this evening.
Ryots in Thanjavur district protest for Cauvery water
Members of the Tamil Nadu Farmers Associations (Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangams) affiliated to the CPI and CPI(M) staged road and rail rokos at 49 places in Thanjavur district on Tuesday, urging the central government to interfere and ask the Karnataka Government to release the due share of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu as per the final award of the Cauvery River Water Disputes Tribunal.
They also demanded formation of the Cauvery Management Board and Water Regulation Committees. The police arrested 950 of them including 97 women.
At Thanjavur, members led by V. Durai Manickam, general secretary of the Tamil Nadu Farmers Association affiliated to the CPI and K. Mohammed Ali, state vice-president tried to stop the Cholan Express at 10.30 a.m, but were arrested before they entered the railway junction.
Members led by Thirugnanam, CPI district secretary tried to stop buses near the old bus stand. They were arrested. Road rokos were held at Pattukottai, Orathanadu, Thiruvaiyaru, Thirukattuppalli, Sanoorapatti, Kabisthalam, Ayyampettai, Papanasam, Ammapettai and other places. Rail roko was held at Thanjavur and Kumbakonam.
V. Durai Manickam told presspersons that the kuruvai crop could not be raised as water was released late on August 9. The future of samba cultivation was in question as seedlings and transplanted crops were withering for want of water. Karnataka should have released 134 tmcft of water till September end, but released only 77 tmcft. The Cauvery monitoring committee meeting was held at Delhi on Monday after two and a half years. In this meeting, Karnataka said that there was no water in its reservoirs and hence water could not be released to Tamil Nadu. But the Karnataka meteorological department had said that Karnataka had received 16 per cent more rainfall this year. In such a situation, it was not fair on the part of Karnataka to refuse water to Tamil Nadu.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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