Farmers and members of the Coordination Committee of All Farmers’ Associations of Tamil Nadu observed a fast at Tiruvarur on Friday urging the State government to take legal steps to prevent Karnataka government from going ahead with its proposal to build a dam across the Cauvery at Mekedatu.
Expressing their anguish over the stand taken by the Tamil Nadu government and the alleged support of the Union government for Karnataka’s desire to execute the Mekedatu project, the demonstrators exhorted the State government to knock the doors of the Supreme Court. The committee wanted the government to declare the Cauvery Water Management Authority’s action of forwarding the Mekedatu Dam project proposal to the Central Water Commission as illegal.
The demonstrators urged the State government to withdraw the move to form the State Highways Department Development Commission to set up toll plazas on village roads. They urged the State government to extend ₹3,500 per quintal for paddy and ₹5,500 per tonne for sugarcane as purchase price.
Addressing the farmers at the venue, committee president P.R. Pandian appealed to the State government to take swift action and save the farmers as well as the people residing in the Cauvery Delta districts of Tamil Nadu who depend on this river for their drinking water needs.
