The Tamil Nadu government has written to the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA), objecting to the contents of the minutes of its last meeting. It has sought changes to reflect what transpired at the meeting, Minister for Water Resources Duraimurugan told the Assembly on Wednesday.
In his response to the concerns raised by Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami, he said that the minutes of the meeting, sent to the Tamil Nadu government, dishonestly did not reflect what transpired at the meeting; instead, they suggested that Tamil Nadu officials had agreed to put the Mekedatu dam plan on the agenda of the meeting.
“We have written to them [the CWMA], stating that what did not happen was recorded in the minutes of the meeting, and that it is not fair,” Mr. Duraimurugan said.
He also endorsed Mr. Palaniswami’s contention that the CWMA did not have the power to discuss the Mekedatu dam proposal, and that it could only implement the verdict of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal within the ambit allowed by a Supreme Court judgment.
Though Tamil Nadu had been opposing any discussion on the Mekedatu proposal at the CWMA meetings, there were attempts to put the topic on the agenda. Though the Union Minister concerned assured the State that the topic would not be included in the agenda, “some miscreants” had included it, Mr. Duraimurugan said.
Mr. Palaniswami accused the DMK government of not taking steps to get Tamil Nadu’s share of Cauvery water from Karnataka every month. He said that the Kuruvai, Samba, and Thaladi crops were severely affected for want of water, and demanded compensation for the affected farmers.
He said that the increase in the electricity tariff had affected traders and micro, small and medium enterprises. He criticised the DMK government for closing 2,000 Amma Mini Clinics, saying the decision had affected people in rural areas.
