Farmers push for robust legal battle in Mekedatu, Cauvery dispute

TIRUCHY: The Federation of Farmers Associations in Cauvery Delta Districts convened a critical meeting in Tiruchy and passed a resolution urging that the state government initiate immediate legal proceedings regarding the Cauvery water dispute and insisting on being impleaded in the court cases. They also expressed scepticism over the resolution passed by the Assembly for the constitution of a water disputes tribunal for Mekedatu, noting that it will primarily help the Karnataka government.

The Tiruchy meeting, in which the representatives from various farmers' associations and legal experts took part, focused on legal avenues for action against Karnataka for failing to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu and its initiatives to construct the Mekedatu dam.

While speaking to reporters after the meeting, Cauvery V Dhanapalan, the president of the Federation, noted that poor storage in Mettur reservoir, as Karnataka failed to release Tamil Nadu's due share of water, has affected the Kuruvai cultivation in the Delta.

“We have been insisting that the state government look for legal avenues to safeguard our rights on the Cauvery. The government should approach the court with proper legal inputs. We have decided to apply for an implead petition in the case, and we are ready to present supportive inputs from our part," Dhanapalan said.

Lauding the resolution against the Mekedatu dam construction passed on the Assembly floor, he cautioned that if Karnataka succeeds in the construction of the dam, as many as 19 districts in Tamil Nadu would lose water for irrigation, turning the Cauvery Delta region a desert. “The farmers too have decided to approach the Supreme Court against the Mekedatu dam construction," he said.

Meanwhile, Dhanapalan deemed the recommendation for the constitution of a separate tribunal for the Mekedatu issue unnecessary. He said it would play into Karnataka's political strategy and appealed to the state government to remove the recommendation from the resolution.