Cauvery rights panel strike from Tuesday

P Maniyarasan, the convener of CRRC, announced the protest plan after a consultative meeting of the forum in Thanjavur on Friday. 

Charging that the union government has been supporting the Karnataka government indirectly by delaying the setting up of the CMB, he criticised the Centre for introducing the Inter-State River Water Disputes (Amendment) Bill, 2017. If passed, the amendment would pave the way for setting up of a single standing tribunal to resolve water disputes between states. 

“As far as the Cauvery issue is concerned, the Tribunal pronounced its interim order within a year of its formation. The delay has been on the part of the Centre in implementing the interim and final awards,” he claimed. 

He said that the proposed indefinite picketing is to put pressure on the state to take up the CMB issue with the Centre, so that Karnataka was not allowed to construct a new dam across the Cauvery.