Tamil Nadu Assembly has passed a resolution opposing Karnataka’s proposed Mekedatu dam project and urged the Centre to deny all approvals, citing Cauvery water-sharing concerns and the interests of farmers.
Chief Minister Vijay speaks in the Tamil Nadu Assembly | IANS
Tamil Nadu on Friday stepped up its opposition to Karnataka’s proposed Mekedatu dam project, with Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay moving a resolution in the State Legislative Assembly urging the Centre not to grant any approval for the project.
The resolution, which received support from members across party lines, argues that the proposed dam on the Cauvery river cannot proceed without the consent of the basin states and mandatory approvals from the Union government. The Tamil Nadu government has maintained that the project would adversely affect the state’s interests in the Cauvery basin.
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Speaking in the Assembly, Vijay appealed to all members to unanimously back the resolution. Leaders from the Congress and the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), including Assembly Congress leader Rakesh Kumar and VCK leader and Minister Vanniarasu, extended support to the motion.
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The resolution records Tamil Nadu’s objection to what it described as Karnataka’s attempt to move ahead with the Mekedatu project without adhering to the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal issued on February 5, 2007, and the Supreme Court judgment delivered on February 16, 2018.
According to the text of the resolution, the project has neither obtained the concurrence of the concerned basin states nor secured approval from the Union government.
The Assembly also urged the Centre not to grant any form of clearance to the proposed project, including technical and environmental approvals.
The resolution states that the Cauvery basin has already been classified as a deficit basin and that the available water has been apportioned among the basin states. It contends that no new project should be taken up in the basin and that no additional quantity of water can be utilised.
Describing the Cauvery dispute as a sensitive issue between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, the resolution called on the Union government to advise Karnataka against constructing a dam or any new water storage project at Mekedatu or elsewhere in the Cauvery basin without obtaining the consent of other basin states and the Centre’s approval.
The Tamil Nadu government also sought intervention in the ongoing scrutiny process related to the project.
The resolution urged the Central Water Commission (CWC) not to examine, process or approve the Detailed Project Report submitted by Karnataka for the Mekedatu project.
Concluding the motion, the Assembly expressed support for all measures being taken by the Tamil Nadu government to prevent the project and protect the interests of farmers in the state.
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