BENGALURU: Karnataka has no intentions of getting into a confrontation with Tamil Nadu over the Mekedatu balancing reservoir project, and the issue needs to be resolved amicably, said Deputy Chief Minister and Water Resources Minister D K Shivakumar.
A day after the Tamil Nadu government took exception to his remarks on giving priority to the implementation of the project, Shivakumar on Thursday said there is no need for any apprehensions as the project will not have any adverse impact on Tamil Nadu.
Karnataka plans to build a reservoir with a storage capacity of 67 TMC across Cauvery at Mekedatu, around 100 km from Bengaluru. He said after the Congress’ padayatra (in February 2022) demanding implementation of the project, the government (BJP government headed by Basavaraj Bommai) had allocated Rs 1,000 crore in the budget and the state needs to make preparations to implement it.
“We have no intention to wage a war or hate Tamil Nadu. People living in Tamil Nadu are our brothers and sisters, and their brothers and sisters are also living here,” he said, adding that the project in Karnataka will also help Tamil Nadu.
“There is no need for any apprehensions. We will not create any trouble for you (TN). We have a large heart and you too should be large-hearted. We are neighbours. Enough of fighting, legal cases and running around government offices. That is of no use. We have to resolve it amicably to help farmers as well as providing drinking water,” he said.
Shivakumar said the quantum of water to be released from Karnataka to Tamil Nadu has already been fixed and they have to help all farmers (of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu) in the Cauvery basin. Storage of water, providing drinking water to Bengaluru, and having an energy generation unit (at Mekedatu reservoir) will not have any impact on the neighbouring state, he added.
As state Congress president, Shivakumar had taken out ‘Namma Neeru Namma Hakku padayatra’, demanding implementation of the project. At the core of what now seems like a political and emotive issue is the utilisation of surplus water that now flows from Karnataka, an upper riparian state to Tamil Nadu, which perceives the dam with a capacity to store 67 TMC of water just across the border as a hindrance to the free flow of surplus water.