Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa in a letter on Thursday addressed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh requesting him to intervene in directing Karnataka to release water to the state to raise long term crop in the Cauvery delta areas.
In Thursday’s letter Jaya reminded the PM of earlier letters she had sent on 18 May, asking him to convene a meeting of the Cauvery River Authority (CRA) to deliberate on issues; the matter was 'yet to be acceded to’.
In the letter, she also referred to the interlocutory application filed by the state government before Supreme Court in July seeking a direction to the Union of India to convene a meeting of the CRA with the apex court seeking Central government's views in this matter. Jayalalithaa said 'without prejudice to the pending proceedings in the Supreme Court, the Hon’ble Prime Minister as the Chairperson may convene a meeting of the Cauvery River Authority and the Distress Sharing Formula can be adopted as a situation of distress has arisen now.' 'I wish to bring to your notice that the government of Karnataka has not released any water from its reservoirs during the irrigation year of 2012-2013, while it has opened the reservoir for its irrigation. However, the Mettur Dam could not be opened till date due to the reluctance of the government of Karnataka even to share minimum flows,' she said in the letter.
The farmers in the Cauvery Delta, having lost the Kuruvai crop, are hoping at least to raise one single Samba crop for their livelihood, she said asserting it was 'imperative' that Karnataka was advised to release water to meet the shortfall quantity as per the Distress Sharing Formula.
In Thursday’s letter Jaya reminded the PM of earlier letters she had sent on 18 May, asking him to convene a meeting of the Cauvery River Authority (CRA) to deliberate on issues; the matter was 'yet to be acceded to’.
In the letter, she also referred to the interlocutory application filed by the state government before Supreme Court in July seeking a direction to the Union of India to convene a meeting of the CRA with the apex court seeking Central government's views in this matter. Jayalalithaa said 'without prejudice to the pending proceedings in the Supreme Court, the Hon’ble Prime Minister as the Chairperson may convene a meeting of the Cauvery River Authority and the Distress Sharing Formula can be adopted as a situation of distress has arisen now.' 'I wish to bring to your notice that the government of Karnataka has not released any water from its reservoirs during the irrigation year of 2012-2013, while it has opened the reservoir for its irrigation. However, the Mettur Dam could not be opened till date due to the reluctance of the government of Karnataka even to share minimum flows,' she said in the letter.
The farmers in the Cauvery Delta, having lost the Kuruvai crop, are hoping at least to raise one single Samba crop for their livelihood, she said asserting it was 'imperative' that Karnataka was advised to release water to meet the shortfall quantity as per the Distress Sharing Formula.