TN's protest on Cauvery water issue enters 3rd day

Sidelined AIADMK leader T T V Dhinkaran-led Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam activists held a demonstration at the Tiruchirappalli airport near here, joining today the oppositions' state-wide stir for an early setting up of Cauvery Management Board (CMB).

The police said AMMK's activists, including some farmers, held the demonstration, terming it as "siege at airport," and were detained.

Continuing the stir on the third day, farmers and various political parties' activists held demonstrations and road and rail blockades across the state, demanding immediate constitution of the CMB to implement the February 16 verdict of the Supreme Court on the Cauvery waters allocation among the riparian states.

The apex court though had reduced the Tamil Nadu's share of Cauvery water, it had allowed it to extract 10 tmcft groundwater from the river basin to tackle its acute scarcity of drinking water.

The stir being spearheaded by DMK and a slew of pro-Tamil outfits saw a slew of sit-ins and demonstrations by students and others at various places, including Chennai, Tiruvarur and Madurai.

The main opposition party DMK held demonstrations at 10 locations in the city while the agitation at downtown T Nagar was led by sitting MLA J Anbazhagan.

The DMK-led opposition parties had on April 1 called for a state-wide shutdown on April 5 demanding immediate constitution of the CMB by the Centre.

At Egmore Railway Station here, a rail roko agitation was held by activists of pro-Tamil outfits while at Villupruam, the Naam Tamizhar party cadres stopped an express train.

In Tiruchirappalli, besides Dhinakaran, farmer leaders P Ayyakannu, the chief of National South Indian Rivers Inter-Linking Farmers Association, and P R Pandian, the president of Tamil Nadu All Farmers Federations took part in the protest.

Koyambedu vegetable, fruit and flower market here, one of the biggest markets in the country observed shutdown today responding to the bandh call to express solidarity over the Cauvery issue.

Responding to a bandh call by a traders body, retail outlets and groceries too downed their shutters at several places of the state.

Adequate security arrangements are in place across the state, the police said.

Both the Centre and the Tamil Nadu government had on March 31 moved the Supreme Court on the issue of constitution and composition of the CMB in compliance with the February 16 verdict of the apex court on the contentious issue.

The apex court had on February 16 raised the 270 tmcft share of Cauvery water for Karnataka by 14.75 tmcft and reduced Tamil Nadu's share, while compensating it by allowing extraction of 10 tmcft groundwater from the river basin, saying "the issue of drinking water has to be placed on a higher pedestal".

It had granted six weeks to the Centre to formulate a scheme to ensure compliance of its 465-page judgement, which modified the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal Award. The six-week period ended on March 29.