BENGALURU: Amid opposition from the neighbouring Tamil Nadu government, Karnataka on Wednesday urged the Central government to clear the Mekedatu balancing reservoir project near Kanakapura. Karnataka Water Resources Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi on Wednesday met Union Minister for Jal Shakthi Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in New Delhi and requested him to clear the project and issue a notification.
During his visit to the project site in Ramanagara district on Monday, Jarkiholi stated that the Union Jal Shakti ministry has already approved the construction of the dam and he will meet Union Minister Prakash Javadekar and push for clearances from the Environment and Forest departments. A detailed project report for the Rs 9,000 crore project is ready and awaits final clearances.
Karnataka is keen to fast-track the drinking water and hydro power project in the Cauvery basin that includes a balancing reservoir with a storage capacity of 66 tmcft at Mekedatu in Kanakapura taluk, around 90 km from Bengaluru. During his meeting with Shekhawat, Jarkiholi appealed for the declaration of the Upper Bhadra Project as a national project and also discussed the Krishna Water Dispute Tribunal Award and Kalasa Banduri diversion project in Belagavi district. Jarkiholi also urged the Centre to release its share of Rs 218.97 crore for the Narayanpur Left Bank Canal project, said an official from the water resources department.