Ryots: State should push for Cauvery panel meet for Mettur dam opening on June 12

Speaking to reporters in Thanjavur on Tuesday, Pandian urged the State government to take steps to convene the Cauvery water regulatory committee so that water could be released from Mettur on June 12 for the Kuruvai paddy.

He alleged that the Karnataka government had been diverting the water from the dams to show that there was no water. “Hence, the Tamil Nadu government should insist on convening the regulatory committee to assess the water situation and to seek the due share of water for Tamil Nadu farmers,” he opined

Pandian also criticised the Union Government for approving hydrocarbon exploration projects in the 6,000 sq. km stretch from Marakkanam in Villupuram district to Kodiyakkarai in Nagappattinam district. He claimed the new licensing policy permits the companies to exploit all the resources under the ground including Coal Bed Methane (CBM), Shale Gas, tight gas etc. Recalling the then Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's orders to ban Coal Bed Methane (CBM) projects in the Cauvery delta districts, Pandian said, “However, the present TN government has been sitting idle like a mute spectator.”