CM writing to Vajpayee, Krishna

By Suresh Nambath

CHENNAI, AUG. 23. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Ms. Jayalalithaa, is writing to the Prime Minister, Mr. A.B. Vajpayee, and the Karnataka Chief Minister, Mr. S.M. Krishna, to secure Cauvery water for the State. The PWD Minister, Mr. Dhalavai Sundaram, the Chief Secretary and the department Secretary have sought time with Mr. Krishna to discuss the issue, Ms. Jayalalithaa told the Assembly today.

``We are waiting for a reply,'' she said intervening during the debate on the budget. ``We don't have to lose hope. Due to the rains, we already received 1.5 tmcft of water at Mettur today.''

Five weeks ago, she had written to the Prime Minister and the Karnataka Chief Minister on the Cauvery issue. While she received an acknowledgment of her letter to the Prime Minister, there was no reply from the Karnataka Chief Minister.

The State Government had also sought a meeting of the Cauvery monitoring committee, which included the Chief Secretaries of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka as members, to ensure release of water to the State. The AIADMK, she said, had consistently opposed the formation of the Cauvery River Water Authority which had the Prime Minister as head. ``I left the BJP alliance on this issue,'' she said. The Authority was unnecessary, she added.

Referring to the Government's decision to revive the Veeranam scheme for bringing water to Chennai, she said a World Bank team had already cleared it as feasible and sanctioned Rs. 1,638 crores. The interests of the farmers in the Veeranam ayacut would be protected.

However, the Government was under no illusion that the Veeranam scheme would solve Chennai's drinking water problem completely.

The attempt was to tap all possible sources of water, she said. In this context, she recalled other schemes such as construction of reservoirs at Pallikaranai and on the Palar.

Referring to the Hogenakkal scheme, Ms. Jayalalithaa said efforts were on to find alternative sources of funding. Although an agreement had been signed for Japanese assistance, it failed to come through after Japan stopped all aid following the Pokhran nuclear tests.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Southern States
Previous : SSLC examinations from March 6
Next     : Case against Sun TV