CHENNAI: Assuring people her government would restore rights of Tamil Nadu on the Palar river issue on the lines of that over Cauvery, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa today said the state had requested the Centre to advice Andhra Pradesh not to take up projects across it until the Supreme Court delivers its verdict.
Noting that the case is in the Supreme Court and that the Central Water Commission had also asked Andra Pradesh government not to build the check dam across the river, she said there was no possibility of that state taking up such a project in this type of situation.
"However, after coming to know of that government's move through media reports, I consulted with senior government officials. On my advice Chief Secretary (Mohan Verghese Chunkath) wrote to the Centre, requesting it to advice Andhra
Pradesh government not to take up any projects there until the Supreme Court delivers a verdict", she said in a statement.
Stating that she was "closely monitoring" the matter, she assured that the rights of Tamil Nadu would be restored on he Palar river issue,just like she had done on the Cauvery water issue and Mullaiperiyar.
She was responding to DMK president M Karunanidhi's statement yesterday, opposing Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu's remarks on constructing check dams across Palar, saying it would affect three districts in Tamil Nadu.
Recalling efforts taken by the AIADMK government in the past, she said when her party was in power in 2006, a case was filed in the Apex Court opposing Andhra Pradesh government's move to construct a check dam across the Palar river.
Jayalalithaa recalled that when her government was in power till 2006, Andhra Pradesh had not taken up the project. But after the regime change in Tamil Nadu, the then DMK government, despite being a UPA ally, did not adopt steps to take up the matter through Supreme Court or urge the Centre to solve the matter through talks, she said.
After her party stormed back to power in 2011, the topic was discussed and she had requested the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at a meeting with him in Delhi on June 14,2011 to advice Andhra Pradesh "not to go ahead with its project".
The Chief Minister pointed out that the case is pending in the Apex Court and is expected to come up for hearing again next month.
Taking a dig at arch rival Karunanidhi, she said the latest statement by the 91-year-old DMK leader on the issue was an act of 'betrayal' of the people of Tamil Nadu.