CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, in a letter to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday took exception to the Union government's permission to the neightbouring Karnataka to prepare a detailed project report for a new dam across Cauvery River at Mekedatu.
Palaniswami wrote the letter hours after the news broke about the Central Water Commission (CWC) giving its nod to Karnataka government’s Cauvery Neeravari Nigam Limited for preparing the detailed project report, a crucial step towards building a new dam.
The chief minister urged prime minister Modi to instruct the CWC to forthwith withdraw the permission given to Karnataka as it is in violation of Cauvery Tribunal final award. He said the action of the Central Water Commission had caused great alarm and apprehension among the people of Tamil Nadu as it would affect the livelihood of lakhs of farmers who depend on Cauvery water. Palaniswami also said he was looking forward to an immediate positive reply in this regard.
“The proposal for reservoir is not just for drinking water alone as claimed by Karnataka, but to increase the extent of irrigation which is in clear violation of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal Award as
affirmed by the Supreme Court,” Palaniswami added.
He also pointed out that the Tamil Nadu government had already conveyed its decision to the Government of India that the feasibility report of Karnataka for constructing a Balancing Reservoir at Mekedatu across the river Cauvery was not acceptable and also furnished detailed comments to the feasibility report.
Recalling his letter dated September 4 in this regard wherein he had requested to stop forthwith further processing of the feasibility report of the Karnataka government and not to give any consent to any projects in the river Cauvery without obtaining the prior concurrence of Tamil Nadu and other co-basin States, the chief minister said he also had reiterated the same in the memorandum presented to the prime minister on October 8.
The chief minister charged that the Central Water Commission, without considering the genuine and justifiable objections of Tamil Nadu, had given permission to Karnataka to prepare the DPR for the Mekedatu Balancing Reservoir-cum-Drinking Water Project.