Edappadi K Palaniswami urges PM Modi to reject Karnataka report

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government has once again urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to instruct the Ministry of Water Resources and Central Water Commission (CWC) to “reject outright” Karnataka’s DPR (Detailed Project Report) for constructing a dam on river Cauvery at Mekedatu. TN has taken up with the Centre and the PM multiple times pleading for justice on Mekedatu, without any positive response so far.

In his latest petition to the PM on Friday, CM Palaniswami recalled his letters of November 27 and December 6 last year, besides the communications from TN to the Centre, the Water Resources Ministry and the CWC, on this same issue, and pleaded for Modi’s “personal intervention” to ensure Karnataka's DPR is shot down.

“Lakhs and lakhs of farmers of Tamil Nadu dependent on Cauvery water are agitated that they will be deprived of their due share of water as per the judgment of the Supreme Court dated 16.2.2018, if Mekedatu or any such project is taken up in the Cauvery basin by the upper riparian states”, said the CM in his letter to PM. He also pointed out that the Karnataka moves on Mekedatu violated the final order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal and the Supreme Court judgment (Feb 16, 2018).

The CM also expressed concern that unmindful of the TN objections and the legal positions, Karnataka had informed the Supreme Court on January 21 (2019) that it has furnished the DPR on Mekedatu to the CWC on January 18 (2019) and sought further clearances for the project.  

"The unilateral action of Karnataka proposing to construct a new reservoir at Mekedatu for which the DPR is presented to the CWC is a clear violation of the judgment of the Hon'ble Supreme Court dated 16.2.2018", CM Palaniswami said in his letter to Modi.

He also recalled that TN had moved the Supreme Court on November 30 last year to direct the CWC to withdraw the permission granted to Karnataka for preparation of a DPR for the Mekedatu project. "Therefore, the matter is already before the Hon'be Supreme Court", the CM pointed out.

The DMK and other opposition parties have criticised the Centre of being partial towards Karnataka on the Cauvery conflict between the riparian states only because the BJP wants a good harvest of seats in that state in the coming Lok Sabha polls and also strengthen its roots there. 

“The unilateral action of Karnataka proposing to construct a new reservoir at Mekedatu for which the DPR is presented to the CWC is a clear violation of the judgment of the Hon’ble Supreme Court dated 16.2.2018”, CM Palaniswami said in his letter to Modi. He also recalled that TN had moved the Supreme Court on November 30 last year to direct the CWC to withdraw the permission granted to Karnataka for preparation of a DPR for the Mekedatu project. “Therefore, the matter is already before the Hon'be Supreme Court”, the CM pointed out.

The DMK and other opposition parties have criticised Centre of being partial towards Karnataka on Cauvery conflict only because the BJP wants a good harvest of seats in that state.