CHENNAI: A consultative meeting of farmers’ associations, chaired by PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss on Friday, resolved to launch a statewide awareness campaign on the Cauvery issue and other farmers’ concerns, including farm loan waivers. As part of the campaign, a yatra will be conducted from Biligundlu, where the Cauvery enters TN, to Poompuhar, where the river joins the Bay of Bengal.
The campaign aims to create awareness, especially among the youth, about the Cauvery dispute, the possible impact of the proposed Mekedatu dam.
The meeting adopted a resolution stating that the Cauvery River is the irrigation lifeline for more than 10 districts and the main source of drinking water for nearly five crore people in TN. It urged the union government to stop Karnataka’s efforts to build the Mekedatu dam and withdraw the permission granted for preparing the Detailed Project Report (DPR), citing Supreme Court and tribunal rulings that no construction should be undertaken without TN’s consent.
The meeting also opposed recent remarks by Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan that a new dam was the only solution to the Mullaiperiyar issue. The resolution alleged that such statements were aimed at weakening Tamil Nadu’s rights over the dam and urged the state government not to fall into what it described as a political trap.