AIADMK coordinator O. Panneerselvam on Tuesday expressed concerns over the likely impact of the opening of the Mettur dam on silt removal from and repairs to the Cauvery irrigation network.
In a statement, he referred to the work in the Grand Anicut Canal, especially along Thanjavur-Pattukottai road. Farmers were worried that the opening of the dam, ahead of the scheduled date of June 12, might result in breaches, leading to water wastage. As the water was expected to reach the Grand Anicut by Thursday or Friday, contractors, tasked with silt removal, might carry out the work in haste. It was the expectation of farmers’ organisations in the Cauvery delta that the government should go in for water management strategies to store more water, he said.
The AIADMK leader called upon Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to hold consultations with all stakeholders and ensure that the water was optimally utilised for irrigation.
In a series of tweets, AMMK general secretary T.T.V. Dhinakaran wondered whether the public money would not go waste if the contractors were pressured to finish the work before the scheduled date of May 31. “Can the government function without understanding the reality, as if it were under the notion of accomplishing something historic,” he asked.
