Will take legal steps to stop Mekedatu project, says TN CM

 Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam on Wednesday said the AIADMK government will take all legal measures to stop Karnataka from constructing a dam across river Cauvery at Mekedatu. He charged the Centre with not constituting the Cauvery Management Board (CMB) and Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee (CWRC).

“Though the Union government had notified the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal in the government gazette six years ago, the Centre is yet to constitute the CMB and CWRC,” Panneerselvam said while replying to the debate on the motion of thanks to the Governor for his address in the state Assembly.

Pointing out that according to the interim award, Karnataka has to release 2,000 cusecs of water daily, he said of the 67.140 tmcft water released by the neighbouring state from June 2016 to January 24 this year, about 30 tmcft was released only after the intervention of the Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu on Wednesday approached the Supreme Court seeking directions to Kerala to stop constructing check dams and executing the Attapadi Irrigation Scheme across Bhavani river or its tributaries till disposal of the civil appeal filed by it and others against the Cauvery Tribunal order or the setting up of the Cauvery Water Management Board.