Coimbatore: Union Forest and Environment Minister, T R Baalu on July 2 blamed Tamil Nadu government for the suffering of the delta farmers and for its failure to request the Centre to convene the meeting of Cauvery River Water Authority (CRWA) "well in advance".

"Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa should have hastened to request the Prime Minister, who is the chairman of the Authority, well in advance to convene a meeting, by which a fruitful decision would have been taken" he told reporters.

A clear opportunity had been lost by the "adamant" act of the state Chief Minister, who failed to insist for the meeting for which purpose it had been constituted, he said.

When pointed out to the response of Karnataka Chief Minister S M Krishna to the request of Prime Minister, to release three TMC water, Baalu said whatever he had stated was on his individual capacity and should not be taken as that of the Authority.

The 1924 agreement on sharing surplus water was an ever-lasting accord. The issue had to be handled by the order of the CRWA and the Centre was always ready to discuss the issue, he said.

Boycotting the Authority would be a "foolish act", he said, adding that filing another case would not be of any help.

Without making it as a political issue, Jayalalithaa should take this as the issue of entire Tamil Nadu farmers, he said.

He also expressed serious concern about the expected shortage of rice in the next season, following the failure of Kuruvai crop.

PTI