Coimbatore : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palanisamy today released water from Mettur Dam in nearby Salem district for irrigation purposes in delta districts of the State, the result of the legal victory by former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in the Cauvery dispute.

Initially 2,000 cusecs of water was released, which would be increased in phases by which the farmers in the districts will be benefited, Palanisay said at the function organised as part of the releasing the water at the dam site.

Though some persons had criticised the AIADMK Government of not placing the argument properly before the Supreme Court in the Cauvery issue, the legal victory had silenced them, Palanisamy, the first Chief
Minister to release water from Mettur dam in 83 yus.

He said his Government had followed the footstepsof former Chief Ministers M G Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa with regard to getting the rightful share of Cauvery waters to the State, he termed the release as a historic event and great victory for the Government.

He also hoped that the dam level, which is 109 ft now, would touch 120 capacity level in another three days, due to good rain in catchment areas of Karnataka.

Almost all the ponds and dams, such as Siruvani, Mullaperiyar, Amaravathi and Bhavanisagar were brimming to the full.Palanisamy announced that a memorial pillar would be erected in the Mettur dam park at a cost of Rs 1.5 crore and park will be renovated at a cost of Rs 50 lakh.

The chief minister took the opportunity to announce that a memorial, a full-size bronze statue of Ramasamy Padayatchiyar (the founder of Tamil Nadu Toilers party) who fought for the cause of downtrodden, would come up at Cuddalore.