Tamil Nadu all-party meeting opposes Mekedatu project; asks Centre to reject it

Speaking in one voice, an all-party meeting convened by Tamil Nadu Chief M K Stalin on Monday passed a unanimous resolution asking the Union Government not to sanction permission to Karnataka for construction of a reservoir in Mekedatu across River Cauvery.

Representatives of 13 political parties that participated in the meeting expressed their “support and cooperation” to the government in its efforts to stop Karnataka from going ahead with the project. The meeting also said the state would continue to pursue all legal options including the case vis-à-vis Mekedatu in the Supreme Court.

The meeting also resolved those representatives of the political parties will travel to New Delhi to personally hand over the resolution to the Union Government (Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Union Minister for Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat).

The two-hour-long meeting began with a detailed speech by Stalin in which he emphasized that the state has much to lose if Karnataka goes ahead with the construction of the dam and concluded with three unanimous resolutions being adopted.

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“The Supreme Court verdict is clear that no construction across River Cauvery should be taken up without consulting the lower riparian states. Karnataka fast-tracking its efforts to construct the reservoir despite the ruling is condemnable and the move will affect farmers of Tamil Nadu.

“Karnataka’s action amounts to challenging the rule of law as enshrined in the Constitution. Therefore, the meeting appeals to departments concerned of the Union Government not to grant any permission vis-à-vis Mekedatu to Karnataka,” one of the resolutions passed by the meeting read.

The all-party meeting came in the backdrop of Karnataka asserting that it will go ahead with the construction of a reservoir at Mekedatu across Cauvery despite strong opposition from Tamil Nadu.

In his speech, Stalin rejected Karnataka’s claims that the reservoir will not affect Tamil Nadu and its farmers and asserted that the state will never allow a dam to be built across the river which flows through Tamil Nadu after beginning its journey in Tala Cauvery in Kodagu in Karnataka.

The Chief Minister stressed it was imperative that political parties in Tamil Nadu demonstrate their unity on their issue not “just to Karnataka but also to the Union Government.”

“There is not even an iota of truth in Karnataka’s claims that the Mekedatu dam will not affect Tamil Nadu. The truth is farmers of the state will be affected by o the project…Karnataka does not release water every month as stipulated by the Government. The state has the habit of just releasing excess water,” Stalin complained.

He also said Tamil Nadu cannot accept Karnataka’s contention that the reservoir was being built to meet the drinking water needs of Bengaluru city. He contended that the project if implemented, will have a cascading effect on the livelihood of Tamil Nadu farmers as the water flows will get interrupted if a new reservoir comes up across Cauvery.

“Cauvery does not belong to Karnataka alone. Tamil Nadu possesses equal rights over the river and in fact, Cauvery runs through for a longer distance in the state,” the Chief Minister said.