Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami chaired a high-level meeting on Friday to gear up for the first meeting of all the member states of the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) in New Delhi on July 2.
Tamil Nadu would be represented by Public Works Department (PWD) Secretary SK Prabhakar who is the state’s representative in the CWMA. Friday’s meeting was chaired by the CM and had the Deputy CM O Panneerselvam, Education Minister KA Sengottaiyan, Power Minister P Thangamani, Agriculture Minister R Doraikannu, Food Minister R Kamaraj, Handlooms minister OS Manian, Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar, Law Minister C Ve Shanmugam and other senior officials in attendance.
A presentation was made on the water storage and requirements for the Kuruvai crop in delta districts, as per reports.
As per reports, TN aims to insist on the implementation of the February 16 verdict of the Supreme Court on Cauvery water and also demands that the CWMA begin its work immediately.
Karnataka has so far been releasing only the excess water received due to monsoon and is yet to begin the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu as per the monthly schedule. The government would also urge the release of Cauvery water to Mettur dam to facilitate agriculture in the delta districts.
Reports also said that the government would press the need to link Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Palar, Cauvery and Vaigai rivers to make use of the excess water.
Tamil Nadu would also use the July 2 meeting to press for the apportionment of the state’s water share from the Cauvery in three equal instalments, reported The Hindu.
It was also reported that TN would urge the authority to include a provision to call for emergency meetings to be included in the rules of business of the CWMA which will be finalised on Monday.
The central government notified the formation of a Cauvery Water Management Authority on June 1, as per the orders of the Supreme Court in February.