Chennai: With the Supreme Court approving the Centre's draft Cauvery Management Scheme for smooth distribution of water among four southern riparian states, delta farmers in Tamil Nadu on Friday urged the immediate formation of the management board that would ensure the early release of water ahead of the monsoon.
Welcoming the SC order, P.R. Pandian, president of the Coordination Committee of All Tamilnadu Farmers Association said that the court has now directed the Centre to form the scheme and the water management board before monsoon.
With the weather office predicting early monsoon, the Centre should speed up the process so that the water is released for the delta farmers on June 12, so that the samba crops can be raised, he said.
R Ayyakannu, founder and president of National South Indian River Interlinking Agriculturist Association, said that the state should be cautious with the legal terms of the court. Already the state has witnessed a reduction in its allotment of Cauvery river water and now there is no clarity on the water management board.
Whether it is word "scheme" or "board" the Cauvery water is crucial and now the state authorities should get the verdict notified at the earliest so that there is no further delay in release of water, he said.
CPI state seceteray R Mutharasan also urged the immediate gazette notification of the apex court verdict and commence the process related to the formation of water management board. "The scheme once finalised would deal with the issue of water share of four states and will have two representatives from each state. Tamil Nadu would soon name its representative for Cauvery management board or authority", said a state official.
