NE NEWS SERVICE
CHENNAI, JULY 3
Tamil Nadu would never allow the construction of the reservoir on Cauvery river, Minister for Water Resources Duraimurugan said here on Monday.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar taking up with Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat the nod for the project was regrettable, he said. Shivakumar met Shekhawat on June 30 in Delhi.
- Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar is admant on building the Mekadatu dam over the Cauvery river
- Tamil Nadu has been demanding uninterrupted water supply as directed by the CWDT and insists on upholding its share of water
- Political parties in Tamil Nadu have been strongly opposing the Congress, which is in power in Karnataka and is in alliance with the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu
The Mekedatu dam project went against the Supreme Court judgment and Chief Minister M K Stalin had all along been urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to not allow the proposal to go through, Duraimurugan said.
The Union Minister for Water Resources had also made it clear that permission would not be given to Karnataka for dam construction without Tamil Nadu’s concurrence, the TN Minister said in a statement.
“Karnataka government has the practice of raking up the Mekedatu issue on and off. It is not known if this is due to political compulsion or not. Whatever may be the case, Tamil Nadu government will never allow Mekedatu dam construction,” the Minister asserted.
While DMK is the ruling party in Tamil Nadu, its ally the Congress is in power in Karnataka. Pointing to Tamil Nadu’s pending cases against the Mekedatu project before the Supreme Court, Duraimurugan said the state would present its strong case against the move during the hearing of the matter and prevent the building of the dam.
Also, in view of Tamil Nadu’s stiff opposition, Mekedatu project proposal was not taken up for discussion in the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) meetings held in February, April and June this year.
"மேகதாது அணை கட்டுவது என்பது ஒருபோதும் நடக்காது"
"தமிழகத்திற்கான நீரை கர்நாடக அரசு முறையாக வழங்க வேண்டும்"
"உச்சநீதிமன்ற தீர்ப்பின் படி கர்நாடக அரசு நடந்து கொள்ள வேண்டும்"
– மாண்புமிகு கழகப் பொதுச் செயலாளர் திரு. @EPSTamilNadu அவர்கள்.
— AIADMK – Say No To Drugs & DMK (@AIADMKOfficial) July 2, 2023
“Let us all work unitedly in this issue,” the Minister said a day after AIADMK chief and Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami hit out at the DMK regime for not putting up resistance to protect the state’s interests on the dam issue.
Duraimurugan said: “The Tamil Nadu government is taking all requisite steps at all levels to get Cauvery water from Karnataka to the State as per the Supreme Court judgment.”
The shortfall in water supply by Karnataka for the month of June was brought to the notice of Cauvery Water Regulation Committee.
Also, the TN government has written to the Cauvery Water Management Authority to advise Karnataka to address the shortfall and ensure water discharge as per the schedule for July.
Considering the welfare of Cauvery delta farmers, the Mettur dam was opened on June 12 for Kuruvai (short-term) paddy crop cultivation and water was being supplied continuously, the Minister said.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar is admant on building the Mekadatu dam over the Cauvery river. Political parties in Tamil Nadu have been strongly opposing the Congress, which is in power in Karnataka and is in alliance with the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu.
DK Shivakumar’s statements on Mekadatu have led to massive protests in Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu’s opposition parties, including the AIADMK have stated that as a deputy chief minister, Shivakumar must speak “responsibly”. The parties have also condemned him, stating that without Tamil Nadu’s approval, a dam cannot be built in the Cauvery river, and if Karnataka tries to build one, the entire state will stand up against it.
#கர்நாடக துணை முதல்வர் #மேகதாது அணை கட்டுவது குறித்தும், #காவிரி நீரை தருவது குறித்தும் முரண்பாடாக பேசுவது #தமிழகவிவசாயிகளின் வயிற்றில் அடிக்கும் செயல் என்பதால் தமிழக அரசு இனியும் பொறுமை காக்காமல் தமிழகத்துக்கு உரிய காவிரி நீரைப் பெற்றுத்தர உறுதியான செயல்பாடுகளில் ஈடுபட வேண்டும். pic.twitter.com/1lOtzU87Hz
— G.K.Vasan (@GK__Vasan) July 3, 2023
Tamil Maanila Congress president GK Vasan on Monday urged the Tamil Nadu government to act firmly to ensure that the State received its share of water from the Cauvery.
He said the statements of Karnataka’s Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on the construction of a new dam in Mekedatu and the release of Cauvery water for Tamil Nadu have “threatened” the farmers in the delta region.
Tamil Nadu-based parties have also pointed out that uninterrupted water supply to the state, as per the directives of the CWDT, must continue without fail as well as its share of river water must also be upheld.
