The Tamil Nadu chief minister J.Jayalalitha has announced that the state would file a petition in the Supreme Court to secure the shortfall of Cauvery water from Karnataka as per the final order of the interstate river water Tribunal. Making a suo motu statement in the state Assembly in Chennai today, she said there is a shortfall of 22.93 tmc water from the first of June to the 26th of July.
Ms Jayalalithaa said water from the Stanley Reservoir at Mettur could not be released on the customary date of June 12 this year for the Kuruvai crop season due to shortage of water. She, however, expressed confidence that a normal monsoon and sufficient inflow of water into the dam would help release water for the forthcoming Samba cultivation covering nearly 15 lakh acres of land.
The chief minister told the House, in case of non-realization of water in the reservoir, a contingency plan at a cost of Rs 64.3 crore would be implemented. The six-point plan includes subsidies for planting of saplings, seeds, pesticides and micro-nutrients.