CHENNAI: In the wake of the Karnataka government proposing to conduct a bhoomi pooja for the construction of the Mekedatu dam across Cauvery River, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay held detailed discussions with Cauvery water experts and legal experts to safeguard the state’s rights and protect the interests of farmers. The high-level review meeting was held at the secretariat on Sunday. The CM instructed officials to initiate follow-up legal measures at the earliest.
During the meeting, officials informed that the proposed Mekedatu dam project is contrary to the Supreme Court’s verdict on the Cauvery water dispute. It was pointed out that the TN government had already filed petitions before the top court on November 30, 2018, and June 7, 2022, opposing the project.
Officials further stated that while hearing the case on November 13, 2025, the Supreme Court clarified that no approval had been granted for the Mekedatu project and that the proposal remained only at a preliminary stage.
The court had also observed that it was for the expert committee under the Central Water Commission to decide whether the project violated earlier apex court orders.
Subsequently, the TN government filed a review petition on December 11, 2025, against the November order. The review petition, which had undergone in-chamber hearing during the previous regime with orders reserved, was recently dismissed by the SC.
Taking note of the court proceedings and verdicts, the CM directed officials to immediately pursue further legal remedies after obtaining detailed legal opinion.
Ministers N Anand, Aadhav Arjuna and C T R Nirmalkumar, Chief Secretary M Sai Kumar, Advocate General Vijay Narayan, Water Resources Department Principal Secretary Satyabrata Sahu and officials participated in the meeting.
Senior advocate G Umapathy, and R Subramanian, head of the Cauvery Technical Cell and Interstate River Water Division, participated in the meeting through video conference.
Left parties urge state to convene all-party meet
Chennai: Political parties in Tamil Nadu on Monday expressed concern over the SC dismissing the TN government’s review petition against the Karnataka government’s Mekedatu dam project.
PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss urged the government to put continuous political pressure on the union government to cancel the permission given to Karnataka to prepare the DPR for the dam.
CPI state secretary M Veerapandian and CPM state secretary P Shanmugam said the SC verdict was against the interests of TN farmers. Both parties urged the government to convene an all-party meeting to discuss the Mekedatu issue.