Cauvery projects lead to ruckus in LS

The Karnataka government’s plans to build new reservoirs on the Cauvery on Wednesday triggered a slugfest in the Lok Sabha between the members from the state and those from Tamil Nadu.

Trouble began when AIADMK member M Thambidurai sought the Centre’s intervention in stopping Karnataka from going ahead with the Mekedatu Reservoir Project and rejuvenation of river Arkavathy and modernisation of Hemavathy canals.

BJP members from Karnataka stormed the Well of the Lok Sabha raising slogans against the AIADMK demand. They were countered by members of DMK and AIADMK who rushed to the Well of the House raising slogans against the Karnataka government’s move.

“In a federal structure, no upper riparian State can unilaterally interfere with the natural flow of an inter-State river without the consent and concurrence of the lower riparian State,” Thambidurai said raising the matter during the Zero Hour.
Members from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu continued raising slogans against each other as Thambidurai asked the Centre to advise the Karnataka and its Cauvery Neeravari Nigama Limited (CNNL) against proceeding with any project in the Cauvery basin till the Cauvery Management Board is formed.

BJP members from Karnataka, including Prahlad Joshi, Shivarama Gouda, Nalin Kumar Kateel, Suresh Angadi, were in the Well of the House raising slogans in favour of the projects on Cauvery.

He had also taken exception to CNNL putting out advertisements in newspapers inviting Expression of Interest for the restoration and rejuvenation of river Arkavathy and for the modernisation of the Hemavathy canals. T R Baalu (DMK) also sought to raise the issue saying farmers in Tiruchirappalli, Thanjavur, Thiruvarur, Nagapattinam and Pudukottai, who depend on the Cauvery water, would be affected.

Ananth Kumar (BJP) rejected the concerns raised by members from Tamil Nadu insisting that the government of Karnataka was well within its rights to go ahead with the Mekedatu Reservoir Project.