Legal action against TN on Hogenakkal project

The State government has said that it will initiate legal action against Tamil Nadu for taking up drinking water project in the disputed island of Hogenakkal.

In a written reply to JD(S) member E Krishnappa, in the Legislative Council on Friday, Minister for Water Resources M B Patil said that the project is being taken up in the disputed area without even waiting for the joint survey.

Tamil Nadu had taken up a Rs 3,360 crore project to supply drinking water to Coimbatore and other towns from Hogenakkal adjoining Karnataka and Tamil Nadu . Karnataka has been insisting that the project at Hogenakkal should not be implemented until the inter-state boundary is demarcated.

The State has been claiming that the entire project area comes under its jurisdiction, while Tamil Nadu claims it belongs to it. The region is under dispute since early 2006. It began when Tamil Nadu laid its claim over the island and started a tourism project.

Centre informed

The Karnataka Revenue department earlier this year had written to the Surveyor General of India, pressing for immediate action and a joint verification of inter-state boundary at Hogenakkal.

The State has also alleged that Tamil Nadu deviated from the original plan approved by the Centre in 1998 and has re-drawn the project to utilise 2.1 tmc water against the sanctioned 1.4 tmc.   

Patil in his reply said the State government has communicated its objections to the Centre and Tamil Nadu government regarding the modification and increase in the scope of the drinking water project taken up by the neighbouring state and, that it would now initiate legal action.