Salem: Chief Minister K. Palaniswami on Tuesday regretted that vested interests were constantly projecting wrongly that the government is implementing anti-people projects. “This is factually wrong. Amma Government will never support or take up itself any anti-public projects”, he told reporters here, referring to the protests against the Neutrino and Sterlite projects. To a question on the protest by locals against the expansion of Sterlite Copper Plant in Tuticorin, CM said the unit was not set up during the present regime, but assured that the objections raised by the people would be addressed.
On the opposition to the proposed neutrino observatory in Theni district, he said it was a not a new scheme that took shape recently and accused “some persons” of trying to create a “crisis” for the government. “They are doing so because they can’t find any fault with the government”, he added.
The Chief Minister expressed confidence that the Centre would set up the Cauvery Management Board (CMB) by March 29, when the six-week deadline set by the Supreme Court in its verdict on the inter-state water dispute expires.
“There is still time...we expect the centre to set up CMB and also Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee (CWRC),” Palaniswami said, while recalling the legal struggles undertaken by the late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on the issue, including moving the court to get the final award of the Cauvery water dispute tribunal notified in a central gazette.
CM Palaniswami pointed out that the AIADMK MPs have been protesting in the Parliament demanding the constitution of CMB and CWRC. The Parliament has been paralysed by the AIADMK MPs agitating for the constitution of the CMB and the CWRC, he said.
The Supreme Court on February 16 pronounced its verdict on the vexed dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. After the verdict was announced, Tamil Nadu as the lower riparian state has been urging the Centre to set up the CMB and the CWRC to ensure it received its due share of water, whereas all the political parties in poll-bound Karnataka got united in jointly opposing that.
Last week, Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam had informed the state Assembly that there was time till the end of the month for constituting the CMB and the CWRC. He also hinted that the government would formulate its strategy based on the Centre’s move.
