Vaiko held for protest against Karnataka on dam issue

MDMK chief Vaiko and hundreds of his party cadres were taken into custody by the police on Wednesday following their protest against the Centre’s move to solve water dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

The Centre has set up a Cauvery Regulatory Authority and the Cauvery Management Board to look into the dispute. Vaiko, who led several farmers group, was also protesting against Karnataka’s plan to construct two reservoirs across the river at Makedatu.

Slamming the Centre for not setting up CRA and CMB, he said the NDA government the should also stop Karnataka’s proposal to establish two new dams across a river at Makedatu as lakhs of farmers depended on the Cauvery water.

“The proposal to construct a dam by the neighbouring state would not only affect irrigation in more than 15 districts of Tamil Nadu but also affect drinking water needs of the people in that region,” he claimed. Addressing a large group of protesters belonging to various Delta farmers associations near the Central government offices here, Vaiko also asked the Centre not to allow the controversial methane extraction project in the Cauvery delta.