Protests held across Tamil Nadu over Cauvery issue, demand Centre for river management board

Chennai: Several outfits today held protests across Tamil Nadu demanding that the Union government set up the much-awaited Cauvery Management Board.

The demonstrations were held in the city by Muslim outfits, including SDPI, in front of railway stations, police said.

In Thanjavur, the Cauvery Urimai Meetpu Kuzhu (Cauvery Rights Retrieval Committee) staged an agitation and in Madurai, a pro-Tamil outfit held a demonstration on the issue, they said.

All the agitations were held either near or in front of Central government establishments including railway stations.

The protesters raised slogans accusing the Centre and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "betraying Tamil Nadu's interests".

They condemned the Centre for taking a stand against setting up the CMB immediately on the ground that the matter fell in the domain of Parliament.

The protests came days after a high-level technical team, set up by the Supreme Court, completed its inspection of Cauvery basin region in Tamil Nadu to assess the situation in the state.

The team, which also inspected the Cauvery basin in Karnataka, is set to submit its report in the apex court on October 17.

The apex court had set up the team while hearing a petition by Tamil Nadu government seeking release of Cauvery water by Karnataka.

Farmers bodies in Tamil Nadu have also called for a 48-hour rail roko on October 17 and 18 to urge the Centre to set up the Cauvery Management Board.

While DMK had yesterday pledged its support to the rail roko, Tamil Maanila Congress today said it would support the stir.