Tamil Nadu CM against Karnataka's Mekedatu plan over Cauvery river
Tamil Nadu chief minister speaks against Karnataka government-run Cauvery Niravari Nigama Niyamita, the organisation in charge of maintaining all irrigation projects along with petitioning the environment ministry for clearance with respect to the Mekedatu balancing reservoir and drinking water project.
FollowBengaluru: Tami Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami sought the urgent personal intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday to stop Karnataka’s plan of going ahead with the construction of Mekedatu Dam over Cauvery river.
The Karnataka government’s move has been condemned by DMK president MK Stalin and PMK leader Anbumani S Ramadoss.
The chief minister’s reaction is against Karnataka government-run Cauvery Niravari Nigama Niyamita, the organisation in charge of maintaining all irrigation projects along with petitioning the environment ministry for environment clearance for Mekedatu balancing reservoir and drinking water project.
Palaniswami reportedly said that Karnataka’s action in seeking environmental clearance for Mekedatu project is in complete violation of the final order of the Cauvery water disputes tribunal and the judgement of the Supreme Court in February last year.
The “silent support” that the Centre was extending to Karnataka for constructing the Mekedatu dam was condemned by Stalin, reports said. The DMK leader reportedly claimed that when the Union minister, Nitin Gadkari, was the water resources minister in the earlier NDA government, he had given a commitment that the Centre would not
permit Karnataka to go ahead with the Mekedatu dam plan without the nod of all states that benefit from Cauvery water.
Stalin reportedly said that the situation will harm interstate relations and that the AIADMK government should move the Supreme Court immediately and obtain a stay on the Mekedatu dam plan.
According to reports, the Palaniswami said that the Jal Shakthi ministry may be directed to advise the Central water commission to reject and return the detailed project report of the reservoir plan. He also said that the water commission should not grant any clearance to the plan until Tamil Nadu government and other co-basin states concur, reports said.
Palaniswami reportedly said that since Cauvery is a deficit basin, constructing Mekedatu or any dam by an upper riparian state would drastically affect the amount the water due to the lower riparian states.
The chief minister of Tamil Nadu had taken up the issue with the Prime Minister during his recent meeting in New Delhi.
