Mekedatu row: AIADMK urges CM to take all party delegation to meet Jal Shakti Min

Puducherry: The AIADMK in Puducherry on Monday urged Chief Minister N Rangasamy to take an all-party delegation to meet the Union Jal Shakthi Minister and urge the Centre to prevent Karnataka from implementing the Mekedatu project across Cauvery river.

Former AIADMK legislator and secretary of the party`s Puducherry unit (East district) A Anbalagan presented a letter to the Chief Minister and also to PWD Minister K Lakshminarayanan separately today with this request.

He later told reporters that the Mekedatu dam would spell havoc to the ryots of Karaikal region of the Union Territory as flow of Cauvery water to Puducherry, one of the riparian states, would be hit if the reservoir came up across the river.

The interests of the ryots of Tamilnadu and Karaikal would be at stake. Anbalagan said.

He demanded that the government arrange for a delegation to meet Union Jal Shakthi Minister Gajendra Singh Shekawat to prevent Karnataka from going ahead with the dam project.

On July 14, the AINRC-led NDA government decided to oppose construction of the dam.

A meeting held in this regard felt that the flow of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu and consequently to Karaikal, an enclave of this union territory dependent on it for agricultural operations, would be hit if the dam was constructed.