PUDUCHERRY: Objecting to the proposed construction of the Mekedatu dam over the Cauvery river by the Karnataka government, Puducherry CM N Rangasamy on Wednesday said that he has written to PM Narendra Modi urging him not to grant approval to the project.
The dam project will adversely affect the Karaikal region of UT lying in the tail end of the Cauvery delta region, the CM said in the letter.
Shortly after chairing a meeting along with PWD Minister K Lakshminarayanan, Transport Minister Chandira Priyanga, and Karaikal MLAs PNR Thirumurugan and PR Siva on the Mekedatu issue, Rangasamy told The New Indian Express that in the letter to the Prime minister, he has expressed all adverse impacts the Mekedatu project will have on lives of people of Karaikal region, who are dependent on Cauvery water, both for drinking water and agriculture and not permit the project. Similar letters have also been sent to Union Home minister Amit Shah and Union Minister for Water resources Gajendra Singh Sekhawat.
Opposition Congress, DMK, VCK and CPI party members , Villupuram Lok Sabha member Ravi Kumar , Karaikal DMK Convenor and MLA AMH Nazeem and CPI State Secretary AM Saleem, as well as Puducherry Lok Sabha member V Vaithilingam, had urged the Chief Minister to convene an all-party meeting and adopt a resolution against the Mekedatu project. They also wanted the CM to lead a delegation to Delhi and represent the Prime Minister against the adverse effect of the project.
The Supreme Court awarded Puducherry 7 TMC of water through the seven tributaries of Cauvery in Tamil Nadu namely Nandalaru, Nattaru, Vanji, Nularu, Arasalaru, Thirumalairajan, and Pravidayan rivers. If Tamil Nadu’s share of water gets affected by the dam, Puducherry’s share will also be affected, the opposition leaders said. Crops cultivated in a total of 42,533 acres in two seasons are dependent on Cauvery water.
Vaithilingam and Saleem also said the Karnataka Government's construction of a dam across the Markandeya river, a tributary of the Thenpennai river, would destroy the farming sector in the Bahour area in Puducherry. Thenpenniyar river originates in Karnataka and flows through Tamil Nadu and Puducherry before it merges in the Bay of Bengal.
Both the dams, if constructed by Karnataka, would destroy the farming sector and impact groundwater level in both the regions and wanted the Puducherry government to raise objections to both the project.
Meanwhile, some small political and social outfits burnt the effigy of Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa at Kamaraj square on Tuesday evening protesting against the dam project.