CHENNAI: AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Monday urged the TVK government to immediately assess the extensive damage to Kuruvai crops in the Cauvery delta and provide compensation of Rs 25,000 per acre to the affected farmers.
The former chief minister questioned whether the TVK government is effectively handling the Cauvery issue, alleging the government has taken no visible step to secure the release of Cauvery water.
He said several political parties, including the AIADMK, had urged the government to convene an all-party meeting to discuss the Cauvery issue and the proposed Mekedatu dam, but the government had ignored the demand.
Recalling the earlier practice, Palaniswami said both AIADMK and DMK governments had consulted political parties and farmers before approaching the Supreme Court to secure Cauvery water. Claiming the AIADMK government had obtained the final Supreme Court verdict on the dispute, he alleged the present TVK government has failed to protect Tamil Nadu’s interests.
He further claimed while the Karnataka government respected the views of political parties and farmers, the TVK government lacked administrative experience to effectively handle the Cauvery issue, noting the party is only about two-and-a-half years old.
He said the government’s failure to open the Mettur dam on the customary June 12 date had severely affected Kuruvai cultivation in the Delta.
Palaniswami said an acute water shortage had caused Kuruvai crops on nearly 1 lakh acres, including Nannilam and Kudavasal in the Tiruvarur district, to wither, severely affecting farmers’ livelihoods. He urged the government to depute revenue and agriculture department officials to conduct field inspections, assess the damage and provide compensation.