Leaders of farmers from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu on Wednesday began the second round of dialogue here in their quest to seek an amicable solution to the ticklish Cauvery water issue between the two states.
V K Natraj, Director of the Madras Institute of Development Studies (MIDS) which
organised the event, said the dialogue was aimed at bringing the farmers of the Cauvery basin on a common platform to reduce the communication gap and to take a pragmatic view.
Former Chief Justice of Karnataka and Allahabad High Courts Justice D M Chandrashekhar, former Goa Governor T R Satishchandran and "Frontline" magazine Editor N Ram hailed the dialogue initiative.
Satishchandran said the views of the stakeholders would go a long way in helping to find a solution and it could be a valuable input to the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal which is due to give its final award.
Ram said the political leadership had let down both the states by adopting a rigid stand and expressed the hope that the final award of the tribunal would help in finding a solution.