The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Ms J. Jayalalithaa today charged the UPA Government with suffering from “policy paralysis” and said it was “so much struggling with internal squabblings” that it could not even look into “livelihood issues” such as the Cauvery river water problem.

The AIADMK chief said her repeated pleas to the Centre and the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh demanding that the 2007 final verdict of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal be notified in the Central Gazette had not been heeded to.

“I had written to the honourable Prime Minister on May 19 seeking to convene a meeting of the Cauvery River Authority. The Centre has not taken any action. It looks like the Centre has no time to focus on people’s issues as it is struggling with internal squabbles created by its (Congress) alliance parties,” she said in a statement here.

“Therefore, the Government is suffering from policy paralysis resulting in its not even being able to look at livelihood issues such as the Cauvery river water problem,” she said.

In her letter to Dr Singh in May, Ms Jayalalithaa had charged Karnataka with “unjustly utilising” Cauvery water for summer irrigation and asked the Prime Minister to convene a meeting of the Cauvery River Authority to discuss the issue.

Recalling the 2007 award by the Tribunal, Ms Jayalalithaa said Karnataka was directed to release 134 tmcft of water during the June-September period and according to the instructions it cannot use water from its dams for summer irrigation.

“Following non-realisation of Tamil Nadu’s share due to Karnataka using water for summer irrigation, the State Government had moved the Supreme Court against this on March 21, 2012, which is pending before the court. Another petition was filed in April seeking that the final award of the Tribunal be notified in the Central Gazette,” she said.

Explaining in detail the status of kuruvai (short-term) crops in light of reports that they had been affected due to lack of water from Mettur dam, she hinted that it could not go full steam as “Karnataka did not release water under the distress period agreement,” even as rains had kept away from Tamil Nadu.

Subsequently, she had chaired a review meeting to assess the situation where it had been decided to supply three-phase power to 80,000 pumpsets in the delta region for 12 hours starting June 12, 2012, to utilise groundwater, she said.

The Government released Rs 125 crore to the State-owned TANGEDCO to purchase electricity.

Following this, kuruvai crop cultivation will be taken up on 1.37 lakh acres this year even as the Agriculture Department was monitoring the situation and aiding the farmers with timely inputs on farming techniques, fertilisers and others, she said.

Seed-sowing machines were put into use to minimise the use of water, she said adding due to water scarcity, paddy plantation has been taken up on three lakh acres and by the end of July it will be increased to another 1.52 lakh acres.

“Despite Karnataka not releasing a drop of water since June, the Government has taken steps to minimise the losses to farmers from kuruvai plantation. However, Karnataka releasing water to Tamil Nadu is important”, she said.

“Therefore, the State Government has filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking to direct Karnataka to release water on pro-rata basis and that the Cauvery River Authority be convened immediately,” she said, adding her Government was determined to ensure the State’s due share from the Cauvery besides increasing farm production.

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