TIRUCHIRAPPALLI: The Cauvery Delta Protection Movement held a protest in front of the head Post office in Tamil Nadu demanding the Karnataka Government to Release Cauvery Water. The protesters are demanding the Central government to intervene in the issue going on between the two southern states over the Cauvery water issue.
More than 300 cadres from Various Famers Associations participated in the protest. They raised slogans demanding to release of water from Karnataka. However, the Police have detained the protesters.
Earlier today, about 12,000 shops and commercial establishments in the Nagapattinam district on Wednesday morning were shut down as a way to mark the protest against Karnataka.
The joint protest was launched across 8 districts of Tamil Nadu, including Trichy, Tanjore, Nagapattinam and Tiruvarur, on Wednesday morning and will continue till October 12, Thursday. While all commercial establishments will remain closed as part of the shutdown, only those for meeting the daily needs of the people will stay open in these districts.
The Tamil Nadu Assembly, on Monday, adopted a resolution urging the Union government to direct Karnataka to release Cauvery water as per the orders of the Cauvery Water Management Authority.
The resolution was introduced by TN Chief Minister MK Stalin and passed unanimously. The Cauvery Water Regulation Committee ordered Karnataka to ensure the release of 3,000 cusecs of Cauvery water at Biligundlu between September 28 and October 15. Earlier, the Karnataka government had refused to comply with the orders of the Cauvery board to share the waters with Tamil Nadu, citing severe drought in parts of the state.
Amid the war of words and politics around the Cauvery issue, farmers in both states have launched protests. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had earlier voiced his disappointment over the recommendation of the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) to release 3,000 cusecs of Cauvery water at Biligundlu between September 28 and October 15.
The Centre formed the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) on June 2, 1990, to adjudicate disputes between Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and Puducherry with respect to their individual water-sharing capacities.