TN CM hopes Centre would set up Cauvery Board within six weeks!

Tamil Nadu chief-minister Edapadi K. Palaniswami has said that he was hopeful that the Centre would set up a Cauvery Management Board within six weeks as directed by the Supreme Court.

Speaking to newsmen at Coimbatore Airport, the chief-minister was asked questions by scribes on the verdict in the Cauvery river water issue delivered by the apex Court on Friday. “Certain aspects of the verdict are advantageous to us (Tamil Nadu) while some aspects are disappointing,” was his initial comment.

“The Tribunal had earlier said that Tamil Nadu should get 192 TMC water but the verdict by the apex Court has reduced this to 177.25 TMC which is disappointing. I’m now hopeful that the BJP-led Centre would abide by the Supreme Court’s directions and take adequate steps to set up a Cauvery Management Board within six weeks.

“It is also encouraging to observe that the apex Court had categorized rivers as ‘national properties’ and ruled that they can’t belong to any particular State. The verdict has also affirmed the fact that Tamil Nadu has irrigation lands to the tune of 24,708 lakh acres. Appeal in the case has been ruled out by the Court for the next 15 years. We have to consult legal experts to see what we can do now,” he concluded.