BENGALURU: Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Wednesday directed Water Resources Department officials to prepare an action plan to start work on the Mekedatu reservoir project.Home, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Basavaraj Bommai told the media that the CM has directed officials to prepare an action plan and that he will be holding a meeting with legal and technical experts in the department this week, to discuss measures required to be taken for implementing the project.
While neighbouring Tamil Nadu has raised objections to the project and requested the Central government not to accord approval, the Karnataka government has made it clear that the project will help both states, and it will go ahead with it as planned.
Bommai said only a miscellaneous application is pending in the Supreme Court and all legal and technical issues related to the project will be discussed during the meeting by the CM. Terming it an important project in the Cauvery water management, the minister said it will play a key role in water distribution in distress years.
The reservoir, that can store 67.15 tmcft of water can generate 400 megawatt power. While Karnataka can utilise 4.75 tmcft for Bengaluru’s drinking water purpose, Tamil Nadu’s share of Cauvery water can be released from the same reservoir.