CHENNAI: Farmers associations in Tamil Nadu have slammed the Inter-State Water Disputes (Amendment) Bill and the Dam Safety Bill saying they are against the interests of the state.
Arupathy P Kalyanam, general secretary of the Federation of Farmers Associations of Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam districts has a pertinent point relating to the Inter-State Water Disputes Bill.
“When you say one single tribunal for the entire country, why not the Centre come forward to nationalise all rivers too? In fact, that should have been the first step ahead of bringing such a bill. If all the rivers in the country are nationalised, a single tribunal will work. Until rivers are nationalised, individual tribunals are a must.
"The BJP-led NDA government is passing many bills. Why not passing another bill for the nationalisation of the rivers,” Kalyanam went on to ask.
Questioning the rationale behind setting up a single tribunal, Kalyanam wonders: “How can a single tribunal be suitable for many inter-state disputes? Each dispute is unique. So, ‘One Nation : One Policy’ line won’t suit this. Even with multiple tribunals, water disputes are not getting resolved. In the due course, under this single tribunal, many committees needed to be formed to hear each dispute. That could be the only possibility.”
Kalyanam, who is also the founder of the Self-Sufficient Green Villages Movement - Swadesi, Rural & Farmers Development Mission, says, “Our movement urged the Centre many years ago to declare surplus water in each river as a national asset. In India, 64500 tmc of water flows into all rivers. Of this, only 17500 tmc is used and the rest flows into the sea. Since 73 per cent of water is unused, it should be declared as a national asset and should be distributed among the water-deficient states.”
Kalyanam also points out that from 1934 to 1970, the average inflow into Mettur dam was 378 tmc and this was reduced to 205 tmc in the interim award of the tribunal. According to the latest verdict of the SC, Karnataka has to release 177 tmc. So, during the legal process, 200 tmc of water has vanished for Tamil Nadu. Karnataka has been refusing to release even this quantum of water. Even after the so-called powerful Cauvery Water Management Authority was formed, the release of water could not be ensured for Tamil Nadu.
PR Pandian, president of Cauvery Delta All Farmers Associations’ Coordination Committee, is of the view that Dam Safety Bill and the Inter-State Water Disputes (Amendment) Bill were interconnected in nature.
“As per the water disputes bill, control of Tamil Nadu's ownership of four dams in Kerala would go to Kerala hereafter. Again, Union Minister for Jal Sakthi Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said the Cauvery Water Management Authority would continue to function despite the enactment of the Inter-State Water Disputes Bill. This means the single tribunal might act like the Green Tribunal for all water disputes and the states would approach this tribunal instead of moving the Supreme Court. But there is no clarity on this.”
Pandian said, “This Bill should have been introduced after arriving at a consensus among the states. The process of this tribunal should have been explained to the farmers. Even now, it is not too late, the guidelines for this tribunal should be evolved in consultation with the states.”