'National water policy will solve inter-state disputes'

By Our Staff Reporter

MADURAI, MAY 12. Formulation of a national water policy coupled with creation of national water authority (NWA), by the Central Government, would be the panacea for inter-state water disputes, said Prof. M.D. Nanjundasamy, Co-ordinator, La Via Campesina (International Farmers' Movement), South-Asia secretariat.

Talking to presspersons here today, Prof. Nanjundasamy said such a policy was long overdue. The national water policy should have in its ambit, an action plan to prevent wasteful draining of river water into the seas, through construction of dams across major rivers and its tributaries. Wherever it was possible, the linking of rivers should be taken up, at modest investments.

In the Cauvery river issue between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, politicians on both sides were misleading the people. They were also misleading the Tribunal. For the farmers in both States, it was a question of survival and politicians should thrash out the issues, in the background of technical realities.

A national meeting for coordination of Farmers' Movements would be held in Madurai on June 21, 2000, under the aegis of the Tamil Nadu Agriculturists' Rights Protection Movement (TNARPM).

Mr. D. Gurusamy, Convenor, TNARPM, who was also present said the conference would look beyond the Cauvery issue. Discussions would Centre around the situations arising from the Central Government's agricultural policy, which had several ramifications, he added.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Regional
Previous : Tiruchi Mayor resents 'slight', boycotts Stalin
           function
Next     : Tardy progress in railway projects