CHENNAI: Even as the opposition parties are closing ranks and gearing up for a bandh in the delta districts on the Cauvery issue, Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa on Thursday said that her government would file an interim petition in the Supreme Court in a few days and get Tamil Nadu’s share of water as per the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal’s final order.
Jayalalithaa said her government had written letters to Karnataka and the Centre on July 30 seeking the quantum of water that should be released to Tamil Nadu for June and July and both the governments had not given a reply. The total quantity of water present in the four dams of Karnataka as on August 17 is 64 tmc and water for irrigation is being released from all the four dams. But, the amount of water in Mettur dam is only 27 tmc.
Making a statement in the Assembly under rule 110, Jayalalithaa said the Karnataka government had affirmed in the Supreme Court that it would not undertake the Mekedatu dam project without informing the apex court.
If Karnataka tried to commence any project in violation of the tribunal order and without informing Tamil Nadu government, legal action would be initiated by her government to protect the rights of Tamil Nadu, she asserted. The statement of Karnataka Chief Minister on Independence Day promising to implement the Mekedatu project has caused concern among Tamil Nadu farmers, Jayalalithaa said. She recalled that her government had filed an interim petition in the Supreme Court on November 18, 2014 seeking a direction that the Karnataka government should not carry out construction of Mekedatu dam or any other projects in violation of tribunal's final order.
The Karnataka government, in a letter to Tamil Nadu, had stated that it had no idea of taking up Mekedatu project without informing the Supreme Court and it had told the same to the Supreme Court too. The CM also announced a special samba cultivation scheme at a cost of Rs 64 crore, even if sufficient water is not received. Under the scheme, the government would give Rs 500 per acre as subsidy for tilling fallow lands, subsidy for seeds and Rs 600 per acre for using machines for sowing. Besides, subsidy of Rs 280 per acre would be given for using weedicides, Rs 2,000 per acre for planting through machinery and Rs 200 per acre for using zinc sulphate fertiliser.
