Pondy CM flays Centre over refusal to constitute CMB

Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy today said the NDA government's stand over the constitution of Cauvery Management Board, despite the Supreme Court order, has exposed its "intention" to block flow of the river's water to Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
Addressing reporters here, he said that though the Apex court had directed the Centre to form the CMB, it had "brushed aside the court directive and declined to respond to it".
"This exposes Centre's intention to block the flow of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, which is quite perplexing," he said.
He said the Karnataka government too had failed to adhere to the Court order to release water to Tamil Nadu.

Narayanasamy noted that had the CMB been formed, there would be proportionate allocation of water to riparian States.
"Every year Tamil Nadu and Puducherry are forced to move the Supreme court seeking a solution to the problem of sharing Cauvery water," he said and urged the Centre to constitute the CMB in keeping with the directives of the Supreme court.

Referring to the cargo transaction in Puducherry port, he said a Memorandum of Understanding would be inked shortly between Puducherry and Chennai Port Trust to ensure transaction of cargo in Puducherry port.
The Chennai port trust would divert the containers to Puducherry port where unloading of one lakh tonnes of cargo would take place.

On delivery of assistance to beneficiaries, he said that for the first time old age pension and monthly assistance for widows and differently abled persons is being disbursed at the doorsteps of the beneficiaries by the banks.