‘Residents buying water at exorbitant rates’
DINDIGUL
When many districts in Tamil Nadu were facing severe drinking water crisis, the Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and his deputy O. Panneerselvam were keen on making their presence in New Delhi for the swearing-in ceremony of the Prime Minister.
Instead of according priority to tackle the crisis faced by the masses here, the AIADMK leaders were more keen on keeping their allies in good humour, said Communist Party of India (Marxist) Balakrishnan here on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters, he said that never in the recent past, the State had witnessed such crisis as in many habitations, the residents were buying water at exorbitant rates.
When such was the state of affairs, should not the CM and his cabinet colleagues take stock of the situation and handle it on a war-footing?
“Not that I am opposed to them going to New Delhi. They need not be there for so long or so early, when the ceremony was to take place only on May 30, they were giving an impression that New Delhi alone was priority…” he charged.
Though the AIADMK Ministers were in Chennai, they were not available for taking stock of the water problems faced by the people across the State. Instead, they were showing interest in patching up differences among the MLAs and party functionaries, Mr. Balakrishnan said.
Taking a dig at the Karnataka government on the Cauvery river water disputes, the Communist leader said that Karnataka had not only disobeyed the apex court’s directive on releasing 9.2 tmc of water for Tamil Nadu in May, but had also indulged in politics over water, thus misleading the people of the two States.
With just 47 feet of water available in Mettur dam, there were bleak prospects for water being released for irrigation by June 12. Only monsoon should bring in rain as the Karnataka government had not given the due share of water to Tamil Nadu between January and April, he said.
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