CHENNAI: On the Mekedatu issue, Water Resources Minister Duraimurugan said the state government has already informed the centre to direct the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) not to consider Karnataka’s demand for Terms of Reference from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
Duraimurugan said the state is making consistent efforts and taking legal steps to prevent the construction of the Mekedatu reservoir to protect the welfare of Tamil Nadu farmers. He said after the Cauvery Water Management Authority had decided to return the project to the Central Water Commission, the state’s additional chief secretary for water resources on February 7 wrote to the environment ministry regarding the ToR, highlighting the pending Supreme Court case. On February 20, the chief secretary wrote to the Ministry of Jal Shakti, he added.
“In a letter dated February 23 to the Union Jal Shakti Minister, I requested him to instruct the Central Water Resources not to consider the project until the Supreme Court delivers its verdict,” he said. Duraimurugan also said CM M K Stalin, on June 17, 2021, wrote to the Prime Minister, urging him not to grant permission for the project.