The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has called for steps to protect the rights of farmers with regard to utilisation of Cauvery and Mullaperiyar river waters.
Formation of Cauvery Management Board and Cauvery River Regulation Committee as mandated by the Supreme Court order must not be delayed, and the Centre must also permit raising storage level in Mullaperiyar Dam to 152 feet as directed by the court, AAP leaders emphasised at a Farmers’ Rights Retrieval Conference of the party held here on Sunday.
The welfare of farmers in the delta districts must be protected through declaration of the region as an agricultural zone, they said and urged the Tamil Nadu Government to ban sourcing of hydrocarbon from agricultural fields. They expressed solidarity with the protesters at Kathiramangalam.
They expressed apprehension, citing charges of nepotism, in execution of works under Kudimaramathu scheme for rejuvenation of irrigation canals.
Citing the practice of financial empowerment of village panchayats initiated by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, State Coordinator of AAP S.A.N. Vaseegaran sought replication of the approach of sanctioning ₹2 crore for every panchayat for decentralised developmental planning in Tamil Nadu.
Similarly, the practice of financial allotment of ₹ 50,000 per hectare for improving fertility must also be emulated, he said.
Adequacy of quality seeds, fertilizers and storage facilities must be ensured, the AAP emphasised through a resolution.