CHENNAI: Stoutly denying the charge of Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai that his Tamil Nadu counterpart MK Stalin was trying to politicise the Mekedatu dam issue, Water Resources minister Durai Murugan on Wednesday reiterated that the Karnataka government's efforts to construct a dam at Mekedatu pending disposal of cases before the Supreme Court (SC) was illegal.
"As such, I request the Karnataka CM not to make any further move on the Mekedatu issue until the SC resolves this dispute. Mekedatu is a lifeline issue for the farmers of Tamil Nadu. There is no intention to politicise the Mekedatu issue... It is inappropriate to malign the letter written by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister to the Prime Minister in this regard," Durai Murugan said in a statement here.
The minister also expressed surprise at the contention of the Karnataka Chief Minister on Wednesday that the Tamil Nadu government failed to attend the 15 meetings of the Cauvery Water Management Authority conducted (CWMA) so far.
"Perhaps, the officials of the Karnataka government didn’t give correct information to their Chief Minister. Tamil Nadu took part in all meetings and it was recorded in the minutes of CWMA," he added.
Pointing out that the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) divided the available water among the riparian States after taking each scheme into account, Durai Murugan said, "The tribunal even rejected some of the projects. The SC fully endorsed the order of the tribunal in its final verdict dated February 16, 2018. As such, Karnataka trying to build a big dam at Mekedatu, which is not mentioned in the final verdict of the SC, is violative of the order of the Apex Court. The States should function in accordance with the Constitution and the federal principle while honouring the judgment of the SC. Violating them is illegal."
The minister further pointed out that as per the SC verdict, no State can claim exclusive right over the waters of an inter-State river. "Karnataka has already established its resources for supplying drinking water to Bengaluru city. Now, in the disguise of 4.75 tmc of drinking water, Karnataka is trying to build a dam with 67.6 tmc capacity," Durai Murugan said.
Meanwhile, the CWMA has postponed its 16th meeting slated for June 17 to June 23 since CWMA Chairman SK Haldar will be visiting the Cauvery delta areas on June 16 and 17.