Cauvery supervisory committee toothless: TN BJP

Terming the Supervisory Committee set up to implement the final award of Cauvery water dispute tribunal as 'toothless', Tamil Nadu unit of BJP today demanded that a permanent body be formed so that Karnataka could be directed to release water to the state.
The committee could not issue any order as it was a temporary one, state BJP President Pon Radhakrishnan told reporters here.
He alleged that the UPA Government feared that any body with powers to issue orders to Karnataka would affect its poll prospects in the next Lok Sabha elections in that state now ruled by Congress.
The supervisory committee was constituted by the Supreme Court last month as a pro-tem measure for implementing the Cauvery tribunal award.

It held its first meeting on June 1 when Tamil Nadu sought allocation of water as stipulated in the award for the month of June on pro-rata basis for first 10 day period.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a party cadres meeting, Radhakrishnan said the Supreme Court should directly order Karnataka to release water so that Tamil Nadu farmers could take up work on short-term Kuruvai paddy crop cultivation.

He said water should be released from Mettur Dam on June 12 for Kuruvai cultivation and Tamil Nadu could press for release of water under the existing rules.
He said BJP was prepared for any coalition in the state for the next elections.

On the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, he said despite claims by Union Ministers it had not yet started functioning.
To a question, he said BJP was not against Sethu Samudhram project, but only opposed causing any damage to the mythical Ram Sethu or Adam's Bridge.