Tamil Nadu on Wednesday once again asserted its stand on sharing of river water with neighbouring states by opposing the Mekedatu reservoir project being planned by Karnataka and declaring its intention to take necessary steps to restore the full reservoir level (FRL) of 152 ft in Mullaperiyar Dam located in Kerala.
The state government’s stand on inter-state disputes with Karnataka and Kerala were articulated by Governor R N Ravi in his maiden speech in the Tamil Nadu Assembly which convened on Wednesday for the first time in the new year.
The Governor’s address was boycotted by principal opposition AIADMK and DMK’s ally VCK, which attributed its walkout to the Governor “sitting on” a bill passed by the Assembly seeking exemption from NEET for students from Tamil Nadu.
The 45-minute speech by Ravi in English also reiterated that Tamil Nadu will continue to implement the “dual language” policy of using Tamil and English thereby opposing Hindi, and nudged the Centre to extend the GST compensation till 2024 and asserted the state’s opposition to entrance exams like NEET.
“While extending constructive co-operation to neighbouring states, Tamil Nadu will continue to fight for its rightful share of river waters. This government, which is committed to the welfare of farmers, will never allow construction of Mekedatu Dam by Karnataka across Cauvery river,” the Governor said in his speech.
Tamil Nadu’s assertions come amid Karnataka’s renewed attempt to build a reservoir in Mekedatu across River Cauvery. While Karnataka contends that the reservoir will fulfil the water needs of Bengaluru, Tamil Nadu says no structure can be built across Cauvery without its permission.
On the Mullaperiyar dam issue, the Governor said after many years, the state was able to store water at the current permissible limit of 142 feet for many days continuously and the government will take all necessary measures to restore the full reservoir level of 152 feet in line with a Supreme Court verdict.
The Governor’s address said Tamil Nadu has sought Rs 6,230 crore from the union government for relief and rehabilitation of flood-affected areas and urged the Centre to release funds from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).
Emphasising the steps to promote Tamil, the Governor mentioned the government’s decision to declare Tamil Vaazhthu as the State Anthem and popularize the Tamil language in government institutions, private schools, shops and commercial establishments.
On farmers, the Governor said due to timely desilting of channels, the release of water from Mettur dam as per schedule and implementation of Kuruvai package for Rs.61 crore, a record paddy coverage of 4.9 lakh acres has been achieved in the Kuruvai (short-term crop) season this year.
Contending that entrance exams create an “unequal platform by being inherently discriminatory against rural students”, the Governor said the Government is of the firm view that entrance exams like NEET are unnecessary for student admissions to professional courses and “will continue to reiterate this position."
The Governor’s address also praised Chief Minister M K Stalin for his gesture to personally visit the Narikuravar and Irular families in their homes and redress their grievances.
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