TN CM says water issues with Kerala will be sorted out soon

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami on Saturday asserted that steps would be taken to resolve river water issues, including the Mullaiperiyar in Kerala in two months.

Hitting out at the DMK for targeting the government on the disputes, he said the main opposition party does not have the locus standi to question it since such disputes were not resolved when that party was in power.

Days after a meeting with his Kerala counterpart Pinarayi Vijayan over differences on water-sharing, Palaniswami said committees of officials from both the states were being set up to hammer out a solution.

Giving a backgrounder to his recent Kerala visit, he said Tamil Nadu had issues with the neighbouring state over Mullaiperiyar, Shenbagavalli dam, Pandiyaru-Punnampuzha, Neyyar and Parambikulam Aliyar.

To end such rows and get water for drinking and irrigation purposes, the Chief Minister said he had written to Vijayan and he was invited for talks.

Inaugurating a special grievance redressal meet at Neykarapatti near here, he asserted that pending issues would be sorted out, adding these can be resolved "only by constituting committees."
"During your regime, you enjoyed power and were not worried about the people. We are focused only on the welfare of the people."
"Steps are being taken by Amma's (late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa) government to build three or four check dams between Mettur and Kollidam."