Cauvery is a 'life' issue, will not allow Mekedatu at any cost, says TN Minister Duraimurugan
Chennai (PTI): The Cauvery water sharing is not some ordinary matter but a 'life' issue and Tamil Nadu will not allow the construction of a dam across the inter-state river at Mekedatu by Karnataka, state minister Duraimurugan said here on Thursday.
He was speaking to reporters early today upon his arrival from New Delhi after meeting Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Shekhawat over the Cauvery issue. TN has flagged the lower realisation from the inter-state river with the Centre.
The Tamil Nadu Water Resources Minister pointed out at his state receiving lesser quantum of water from the Cauvery river as of July 3 and said if the situation continues the short-term 'kuruvai crops' in the delta districts may be affected.
To protect the crops in the Cauvery Delta districts in the state, Karnataka has to release water from the river and for this purpose, the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) "has to hold talks with Karnataka or order it to do so," he said, adding this request was conveyed to Shekhawat.
Duraimurugan said the union minister asked officials to take steps to immediately convene the CWMA.
"This (Cauvery) is not an ordinary issue, it is a life issue and I have clearly told this to the (central) minister," he said.
Further, the Karnataka government was also duty-bound to adhere to the Supreme Court verdict on water-sharing.
To a question on Karnataka's proposal for constructing a balancing reservoir across Cauvery at Mekedatu, he said "even if they hold talks, or write to us, Tamil Nadu will never give consent for the construction of the dam."
On TN BJP chief K Annamalai's statement that his party will stage "Go back Stalin," protest against the state Chief Minister if he attends the opposition parties' meet at Bengaluru later this month in the backdrop of the ongoing Cauvery dispute, Duraimurugan, said, "that is their wish."
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Varun, Moeen stop RR to 151/9 on sluggish track
Guwahati, Mar 26 (PTI): Kolkata Knight Riders' spin duo of Varun Chakravarthy and Moeen Ali worked in perfect tandem to weave their magic, as a disciplined bowling effort restricted Rajasthan Royals to a below-par 151/9 in their IPL clash here on Wednesday.
On a dry and sticky Barsapara pitch where the ball wasn’t coming onto the bat, KKR’s new spin combination -- brought together due to Sunil Narine's injury -- proved to be their game-changer.
Chakravarthy and Ali dismantled the Royals' middle order, picking up two wickets each in successive overs right after the powerplay, shifting the momentum in KKR’s favour.
Chakravarthy, varying his pace masterfully, bowled out his quota with exceptional figures of 2/17, while Moeen Ali finished with a tidy 2/23 from his four overs.
Seamer Vaibhav Arora (2/33) was expensive but chipped in with two crucial wickets -- regular Royals skipper Sanju Samson (13 off 11) with a yorker in the powerplay before dismissing impact substitute Shubham Dubey (9) cheaply.
Harshit Rana (2/36) was instrumental at the death, breaking Dhruv Jurel’s promising innings of 33 (28) and removing the dangerous Shimron Hetmyer for just 7, both in the crucial penultimate over.
A quickfire cameo 16 from 7 balls from Jofra Archer ensured that they reached 150-mark but he fell to Spencer Johnson () in the penultimate ball of their innings.
Put in, RR had looked set for a big total at 54 for 1, with a well-set Yashasvi Jaiswal (29 off 24) and local lad Riyan Parag (25 off 15) at the crease.
Riyan, leading the Royals for the first time at his home ground, began with intent, smashing Harshit Rana for a six over square leg off just the third ball he faced.
Riyan, who knows the Barsapara pitch like the back of his hand, played the shot of the innings in the next over -- a beautifully timed lofted drive off Vaibhav Arora, sending the ball soaring straight down the ground.
Jaiswal, dropped on 19, capped off the powerplay with a six as RR finished the first six overs strongly at 54/1.
However, KKR struck back immediately. Chakravarthy, their mystery spinner, triggered the collapse in the seventh over, dismissing the dangerous-looking Parag with a well-disguised 113kph delivery.
Riyan mistimed his lofted shot, and the ball soared high into the night sky before Quinton de Kock calmly took the catch after removing his helmet.
Ali compounded RR’s troubles in the very next over by dismissing Jaiswal, who had looked in fine touch with two sixes and as many boundaries.
The England all-rounder continued his impact, getting rid of Wanindu Hasaranga (4), who had been promoted to No 5 but failed to make an impact, spooning a skiddy delivery straight to mid-off.
With four wickets falling for just 15 runs, RR’s innings never had the required momentum as they were at least 25 short of par-score.
